The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1947-06-19
Reclamation Bureau Outlines Plan
+ or Development Of Columbia. Snake
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further power installations at
Grand Coulee, Rock Island and
Kerr dams and for construction of
Hungry Horse, Foster Creek, De-
troit and McNary dams.
2. Hell's Canyon and Wolf creek
projects, in Hell's Canyon of the
Snake, and Boundary project on
the Pend Oreille river near the
Canadian border, or other sizeable
upstream project which are proven
to be more practicable or desirable
should be authorized and sched-
uled for construction ahead of
The Dalles and the lower Snake
projects, and ahead of the other
planned but unauthorized main
stream projects on the Columbia
and Snake below the Okanogan
and Salmon rivers, respectively.
3. The Fish and Wildlife Service
should promptly and vigorously
prosecute its program for lower
river improvements. The program
should be financed by project costs
and by appropriations. It's main
tenance should be a responsibility
of the states of Washington and
Oregon. The Service should con-
tinue its studies of salmon passage
at Bonneville and McNary dams
with a view of readjusting its
program to the extent that it will
be possible to construct most of
the mainstream dams.
4. The Office of Indian Affairs
should make detailed plans, in
consultation with other interested
agencies, for (a) an agreed or ar
bitrated valuation of Indian fish
cry rights; (b) acquisition of down
stream rights; and Co alternative
economic opportunities for the In
dams. The values of fishery rights
should be a project cost and so au-
thorized in appropriate legislation.
Mr.. Newell said that Assistant
Secretary of the Interior Warner
w. Gardner, in announcing the
Departments preliminary views,
emphasized that they constituted
the best solution to the problem
which the Department could con-
trive at the present time. The re-
Communications might be changed,
however, by any of the following:
further data on salmon passage
over the major dams, more detail
ed engineering on the, upstreams,
better information on PROPOSED and
possible construction schedules of
the lower Snake and the upstream
projects, as well as by new infor-
nation and new viewpoints de-
veloped in the consideration of the
problem by the Columbia Basin
Inter-Agency Committee and the
Federal Inter-Agency River Basin
Committee.
Assistant Secretary Gardner adj
vised Mr.. Newil, the latter said,
that the Department is not opposed
to the lower Snake River develop
ment nor does it seek the slowing
down or abandonment of this de-
velopment. Those projects which
have already been authorized by
the Congress, should at least be
maintained on the schedule out
lined in the power program Of the
Bonneville Power Administration
until such time as the additional
upstream projects should be au-
thorized and reach a stage of de-
velopment equivalent to that of
the lower Snake river projects.
Mr.. Newell declared that the
Department has requested the Blu
reau of Reclamation, within what
ever limitations may be imposed
by appropriations granted by Con-
gress, to give high priority to In
vestigations of upstream projects,
including consultation with the
Army Engineers. The Bonneville
Power Administration has been in
structed to develop its advance
planning on q basis which will
permit its adaptation either to the
lower Snake or to upstream pro-
jects.
Assistant Secretary Gardner also
advised Mr.. Newn that the Fish
and Wildlife Service is well along
in its formulation Of 1O-year pro-
gram for downstream salmon de-
velopment, for which the Depart
ment expects to seek congression-
al approval.
The Department in its report to
the Columbia Basin Inter-Agency
Committee at Walla Walla will lay
particular emphasis on the need
for inter-agency and public con-
sideration of the problem. Mr..
Newell explained the Department
will point out that the decision as
to the ultimate scope of the river
development program must be
made by Congress, with thought
full attention to the sentiment Of
the people Of the region.
The Department feels that the
Columbia River fisheries should
not be allowed indefinitely to
block the full development Of the
other resources Of the river. i
concludes that the overall bene-
fits to the Pacific Northwest from
a thoroughgoing development Of
the Snake and Columbia are such
that the present salmon run must,
if necessary, be sacrificed.
This means, the Department
holds, that the Governments eff
forts should be directed toward