Virtual meeting set to discuss dam removal on the Snake River
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, October 1st, 2024 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
OLYMPIA – The Bureau of Reclamation and the Washington State Department of Ecology invite the public to listen to an update on progress made in developing the Lower Snake River Water Supply Replacement Study. The agencies will share information but the meeting will not allow public comments.
The virtual meeting will occur Oct. 8 from 3-4 p.m. PDT. Those who are unable to join can listen to a recording of the session which will be placed on the bureau’s website. Those wishing to attend should click on https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/6c37ae10-4e3f-474e-8c66-7dfe2c576dad@0693b5ba-4b18-4d7b-9341-f32f400a5494 at the appropriate time. A virtual room housing the meeting recordings, materials, and frequently asked questions can be found at https://www.usbr.gov/pn/fcrps/lsrws.html.
The goal of the study is to obtain a detailed understanding of current water supply and irrigation as well as municipal and industrial uses near the four Lower Snake River dams in Washington and Idaho. Those dams are the Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite. The study will evaluate impacts on water delivery in the event that Congress authorizes the breach of the dams as well as to evaluate mitigation approaches if they are breached.
A team led by Jacobs Engineering Group is working with Reclamation and Ecology to conduct the study. It is one of a series of federal studies the U.S. government committed to as part of the mediated agreement on Columbia River system operations. A draft report is scheduled to be released in December of this year.
