In 1948, in a single hour on a sunny May afternoon, the Columbia River destroyed Vanport, which, with 20,000 people, was the second largest city in Oregon. And the flood levels then were well below the record levels of 1894. In February 1996, the river came within inches of flooding downtown Portland. But environmentalists have begun to attack flood control efforts in earnest, drawing extensive media publicity by blaming flood control for killing salmon. The year before, flooding caused extensive damage to property along the Clearwater River below the Dam.
People take it for granted.
I'm glad I don't rely on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control, because unless things change, greater and greater risks will be taken with human lives and property, for unmeasurable and largely imaginary benefits for salmon. Following the completion of Bonneville Dam, the hydrosystem gradually expanded over the next several decades. The Dalles in 1957, Ice Harbor in 1961, Lower Monumental and John Day in 1969, Little Goose in 1970, and Lower Granite in 1975. Until recently, these three projects have been less controversial because no endangered salmon migrate past them. The mainstem Columbia and Snake River dams, along with Grand Coulee Dam, are the backbone of the Federal Columbia River Power System, which generates the low-cost power sold by the Bonneville Power Administration.