They also cause damage to the Snake River salmon. Government agencies and society pay for this damage when we haul salmon, flush water for fish instead of electric power turbines and otherwise attempt to make the dams and reservoirs less lethal to fish. Providing hydropower, river transportation and irrigation. Transportation and irrigation as provided by the dam-reservoir system are heavily subsidized by taxpayers and electricity ratepayers. U.S. taxpayers subsidize production of crops that are irrigated by water pumped with subsidized electricity.
Local taxpayers support the ports necessary for river transportation.
Restoring the Lower Snake River would require physically removing the earthen portion of the dams and re-routing infrastructure like roads and bridges. Operations, maintenance and salmon restoration spending would be unnecessary in a natural river. Providing electric power and river transportation. We assume that if the Snake River is restored, hydroelectric power and river transportation may need to be replaced with other sources of power and shipping. Loss of irrigation.