Shanker’s Bend Dam – just say NO!

The Center for Environmental Law & Policy (CELP) opposes Okanogan PUD’s proposal to construct a new dam on the Similkameen River.  Here’s why:

oThe dam would flood Canadian lands – including 6,000 acres of Okanagan First Nation’s lands and use sites.

oThe dam would flood Palmer Lake’s popular recreational sites and fisheries habitat.

oThe dam would destroy priority habitats and wildlife corridors and harm endangered species in the U.S. and Canada.

oThe dam would inundate abandoned mine sites, including a Superfund site, with potentially devastating water quality impacts.

oThe dam represents taxpayer $$$ folly –$1 billion to construct the high dam.

oThe Columbia River is over-dammed as it is – no more dams needed!

oThe water stored and energy generated by this dam is not needed locally – it would all be exported to downstream interests. 

Shanker’s Bend Dam would be built just upstream of an existing dam – Enloe Dam – which is blocking the river but not generating hydropower at this time.  Okanogan PUD owns both projects.   Indeed, the Enloe Project needs the water stored behind Shanker’s Bend Dam to become an economical (money-making) project.  The PUD’s new dam program is well-funded, thanks to Washington State’s Columbia Dams Program – which is aggressively pursuing new dam opportunities throughout the Columbia River basin.

Public officials – local, state, provincial, and federal – need to hear from the public that the proposals for Shanker’s Bend Dam – and Enloe Dam – are very bad ideas.  The PUD’s new Appraisal Report makes several self-serving and incorrect assertions:

oThe report asserts that the local community “strongly supports” developing Shanker’s Bend Dam.  Public officials need to hear that many people, locally and regionally, do not support this project!

oThe report asserts that new dams are needed to supply water.  The report contains no discussion of water conservation, water markets or other alternative mechanisms for water supply. 

oThe report makes the “Trojan Fish” claim: that a dam will be good for fish and wildlife.  Watch out!  A fish benefit is a public benefit, and a public benefit means the public will pay for the dam.  The idea that dams help fish is just flat wrong.

oThe report asserts that hydropower is good because it has low carbon emissions. But it contains no discussion of how dams have destroyed rivers, fisheries, and cultural resources throughout the Columbia Basin!  How about energy alternatives?

oThe report states that stream flow – the amount of water flowing in a river – is not a water quality indicator.  Wrong!  This is a convenient statement for a project that would turn a living, flowing river into flatwater.  But it contradicts federal and state laws that require protection of free-flowing rivers.

oThe report states that because abandoned mines in the area are certified as closed, therefore inundation of the mines would not cause water quality problems.  Wrong!  Flooding mine works will release contaminants that are not at risk right now because they are not currently under water. 

Water Not Needed Locally!  The Army Corps of Engineers conducted a water demand study and concluded that the water impounded by Shanker’s Bend Dam will NOT be needed in Okanogan County.  So who will use the water?  Corporate agriculture in the Tri-Cities – the same folks who rammed the Columbia Dams bill through the Washington State Legislature in 2006, leading to new proposals for dams throughout eastern Washington.

What Can You Do?

Okanogan PUD’s Shanker’s Bend (Similkameen River) Appraisal Study is an advocacy document, written to promote construction of the dam.  Even so, the report identifies many irreversible adverse impacts that should be fatal to the project.  It is important that citizens speak to their elected officials – tell your representatives that you do not approve the proposal to drown the Similkameen River, drown Palmer Lake, and create a water quality and international disaster in this remote but beautiful corner of the state.

Keep an eye on CELP’s website, www.celp.org, and join our e-mail list to receive updates and alerts concerning the Shanker’s Bend and Enloe Dam projects.

Who’s Who in Washington?

•Washington Governor Chris Gregoire:   (360) 902-4111 http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/

•Your Washington State Representatives and Senator: http://www.leg.wa.gov/legislature

•Washington Department of Ecology Director Jay Manning  (360) 407-7001 jaym461@ecy.wa.gov

•Okanogan PUD Commissioners:  Ernest Bolz  (509) 486-2553  ernieb@okpud.org  David Womack (509) 826-5314 davew@okpud.org  Trish Butler (509) 422-5211  trishb@okpud.org

Who’s Who in British Columbia?

•British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell (604) 660-3202 premier@gov.bc.ca

•British Columbia Environment Minister Barry Penner 250 387-1187  http://www.gov.bc.ca/env/minister.html

British Columbia public officials need to hear that B.C. citizens demand strong opposition to Shanker’s Bend Dam, which would flood the Similkameen River all the way to Keremeos!  Also, Hatch Energy, Inc. has proposed a dam on the Similkameen River near Princeton, B.C.  The Okanogan PUD report discusses integration between new Canada and U.S. dams. 

Will the lessons of the Columbia River Treaty be remembered?

For further information contact:

Center for Environmental Law & Policy

25 West Main, Suite 234, Spokane, WA 99201

(509) 209-2899 / info@celp.org

More information can also be found at our website:  www.celp.org.   The Center for Environmental Law & Policy is a public interest organization dedicated to promoting sustainable and equitable use of the freshwater resources of western Washington and the Columbia River watershed.