“From the perspective of Snake River salmon, the river is broken,” -Miles Johnson, Legal Director for Columbia Riverkeeper
Notice of New Lawsuit Seeking Snake River Dam Removal
Fishing and conservation groups cite hot water pollution from dams for killing Endangered Snake River sockeye salmon
July 21, 2023 (Portland, Ore.)—Four conservation and fishing groups sent a formal notice letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers alleging that dams on the Lower Snake River violate the Endangered Species Act by creating hot water conditions that kill and injure Endangered Snake River sockeye salmon. The groups intend to seek all relief necessary to eliminate the heat pollution created by the four Lower Snake River dams, up to and including dam removal.
“From the perspective of Snake River salmon, the river is broken,” said Miles Johnson, Legal Director for Columbia Riverkeeper. “Without profound improvements, such as Snake River dam removal, hot water created by the dams and climate change will lead to the extinction of Snake River sockeye. The Endangered Species Act gives courts the authority to prevent extinction.”
Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Rivers United, Idaho Conservation League, and the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association continue to support ongoing efforts to replace the Lower Snake River dams’ transportation, irrigation, and energy services. Un-damming the Lower Snake in order to cool the river and allow salmon to survive is a natural complement to those broader efforts.
"Hot water in the Lower Snake River has been a year-in, year-out problem for endangered salmon,” said Nic Nelson, Executive Director of Idaho Rivers United. “Despite above-average snowpacks and a colder spring, we still have significant hot water pollution threatening these endangered fish. The only way to save these runs are substantive changes to the system of operations on the Columbia-Snake River systems.”
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Columbia Riverkeeper fights to protect salmon from dams, hot water, toxic pollution, and climate change.
