Frank Watson: Dam Logic

I have read several arguments against breaching our Snake River Dams.

Some recently published here in the Gazette were excellent.

They presented both the ecological and economic logic that would lead any rational person to conclude that the dams should stay.

The problem we face, however, is that environmentalists are not rational.

Anyone who has had any dealings with the EPA can testify that logic rarely gets in the way of their actions.

My wife and I long dreamed of a waterfront getaway cabin.

We finally saved enough for a down payment on our dream lot on the Pend Oreille River north of Newport. Five years ago, we finally prepared to build our cabin.

The application was 43 pages! Thirty-six of which were required by the state and county EPA. Our waterfront was subject to continuing erosion, so our plans included shoreline stabilization using natural river rocks.

This was immediately disapproved by our county EPA agent.

When I asked why, he said, “Rocks warm up the river.” I mentioned that I had never learned this in any of my college engineering courses on hydraulics or thermodynamics.

He responded that his bachelor’s degree in parks and recreation trumped all scientific inputs, and I would have to delete rocks from my plan and use natural vegetation to control erosion.

When I told him that it was natural vegetation that had eroded away, he gave me this “I’m in charge” look and informed me that my plan would not be approved until I hired an expert to tell me what to plant and where to plant it.

Nine thousand dollars later, I had young willows and dogwoods that attracted every beaver within miles.

The beavers loved my shoreline.

They ate everything down to the roots, and I am still living with an eroding shoreline.

We were required to replace the original dock that came with the property and had served adequately for years with one more eco-friendly.

I was informed that our cabin was in a salmon/steelhead recovery zone even though neither salmon nor steelhead had never lived in the Pend Oreille River.

Our local EPA rep showed me the map that clearly indicated I was in the recovery zone.

End of argument.

We now have a dock surface that allows 60 percent light penetration so that predator fish cannot ambush the baby salmon that do not, and never have, migrated by our property.

We will not be successful using logic to save our dams.

We need some emotional issue to stir the environmentalists to action.

The slack water behind the dams has been beneficial to several native species.

We have increased populations of crappie, yellow perch, and squa-- oops! I mean pike minnows, but none of those can generate a lobby.

If the dams are removed, the Marmes archaeological sites protected under water near Lyons Ferry will be exposed to potential vandalism.

Maybe that could generate a protest group.

Probably not.

What we really need is congressional oversight of the EPA. They have been allowed to run amuck too long.

(Frank Watson is a retired school teacher and long-time resident of St. John.)