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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Report May Sink Dam Project Federal Analysis Of Upriver Dam Plan Threatens To Submerge $200,000 City Has Invested

A plan to raise Upriver Dam would cause “significant” harm to the recreational uses and beauty of the Spokane River, a federal report concludes.

The city of Spokane already has invested more than $200,000 preparing for the project, which once looked like a sure thing but now appears in jeopardy.

There is no way the city could make up for the loss of four-tenths of a mile of mild white water, staff for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission wrote in a 76-page draft environmental impact statement.

That stretch of river, just upstream from the Centennial Trail bridge in the Spokane Valley, is used by beginning kayakers who maneuver around house-sized boulders.

One high school science teacher brings his students to the bridge to see trout that spawn in its shadow, the FERC wrote. After the spawning, the threatened rapids are the most popular fishing hole on the upper Spokane.

FERC placed a value of $140,000 on the tourism and recreation that the report’s authors say would be lost if the rapids are stilled.

That cost nearly offsets the $173,000 in additional electricity the city says it could generate each year if the federal government allows the dam to be raised 18 inches.

Mallur Nandagopal, the city engineer in charge of the project, questioned the report’s conclusions.

Most river-runners end their trips at Plantes Ferry Park, just upstream from the area that would be affected by the dam extension, he noted.

And fisheries biologists say that while fish spawn at the tail of the whitewater, it’s a useless endeavor; the eggs don’t get enough oxygen to hatch.

“Most of this information (in the report) is based on fiction,” said Nandagopal, complaining that the researchers seemed to pay more attention to the project’s loose-knit opponents than its supporters.

“Whoever did the write-up, he just didn’t do his homework.”

Built about 1910, Upriver Dam converted four miles of river into a deep pool where water-skiers have a permanent slalom course and Gonzaga University crews practice rowing.

The 16.5 miles upstream of the pool is the longest free-flowing stretch in a river that once ran free for 110 miles. The river now is blocked by six dams.

The city first asked permission to raise Upriver Dam in 1986, when there was little opposition. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife wrote that the lost wild trout could be replaced by annual releases of hatchery-raised fish.

Problems at the dam - including a washout in 1986 - delayed the application until 1993.

By then, the Centennial Trail was built, drawing thousands of people. The river became the site of an annual canoe race.

And the film “A River Runs Through It” popularized fly-fishing. The sport is best experienced with wild trout, rather than hatchery fish, which tend to be weaker and less savvy.

The city, which deemed the project environmentally “insignificant,” was caught off-guard by scrutiny in 1993. Standing beside the river that year, Nandagopal could not say where the slack water would end.

The list of people requesting copies of the environmental impact statement included canoeists, fishermen and conservationists. It also includes Indian tribes and archaeologists, some of whom worry the rising water will wash away Native American artifacts.

Raising the dam would cost about $900,000, city engineers say. That includes $225,000 the city already has paid to 91 landowners whose property would be flooded.

Another $470,000 would be spent on a recreation area the city promises to build if FERC approves its application. In fact, the city met part of that commitment several years ago, with improvements to the Centennial Trail.

The remaining cost is primarily for legal and engineering fees. Actually raising the dam - a fairly simple process of installing taller water gates so more water goes through the turbines - would cost only about $25,000 up front.

FERC estimated that raising the dam would add $25,000 to annual operating costs. Nandagopal said that’s not true.

“The operators are already there,” he said. “They’ll be generating more electricity for the same cost.”

If the project is rejected, Nandagopal said, “the real losers are city taxpayers.”

Power generated at the dam is used primarily to pump water for city water customers. When need outstrips what the dam can provide, the city must buy electricity from Washington Water Power Co.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Impact statement Copies of the draft environmental impact statement for raising Upriver Dam are available from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Portland. Call (503) 326-5858 and ask for the report on project 3074. FERC will accept written comments on the proposal until May 28. Agency officials said they do not know when they’ll decide whether to approve the project.

This sidebar appeared with the story: Impact statement Copies of the draft environmental impact statement for raising Upriver Dam are available from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Portland. Call (503) 326-5858 and ask for the report on project 3074. FERC will accept written comments on the proposal until May 28. Agency officials said they do not know when they’ll decide whether to approve the project.