Much of the railroad's business was taken away by the barges beginning in 1975. Today, the greater Lewiston area is served by both the Camas Prairie Railnet and the Palouse River Railroad. This waterway is highly subsidized. The public, not the waterway users, are burdened with its expenses. The waterway's dams and reservoirs are largely responsible for the continued endangerment of Idaho's salmon and steelhead.
Wheat is the primary commodity that is shipped on the lower Snake.
Other commodities, but in much lower quantities, are peas and lentils, paper pulp, wood chips, and Potlatch paper products. Shipments out of the waterway in the lower Snake are low when compared to grain production regionally. Lower Snake total shipments are about 4 million tons annually. Wheat production was 25 million in the 5-state region of Idaho, Washington, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota in 1995. Shipments out of the waterway in the lower Snake are low when compared to total commodity exports from the deep-water ports in the Portland area.