The Snake/Columbia river system is part of our national infrastructure, not unlike freeways. And like all federally operated systems, maintenance is part of the package. Dredging is simply the river’s version of repaving. Can you imagine environmentalists going to court to stop repaving?

But that’s what opponents to dredging the Snake River above Lower Granite Dam are doing. Something that can only be accomplished during a window of time when juvenile salmon aren’t headed downstream and adults aren’t coming back, the activists’ action threatens a yearlong dredging delay even if it’s unsuccessful.

While dredging opponents cite its price tag, they’re not being honest. Make no mistake, this is just the latest avenue being pursued with the long-term goal of breaching all four Snake River dams. In the past, environmentalists pursued their agenda by pointing to dwindling fish runs. That tactic no longer functions thanks to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ effective fish mortality mitigation strategies that have salmon survival rates nearing records not seen before dam construction.

I once thought when activists realized we could operate dams and have record fish runs, efforts to demolish billions of dollars of infrastructure would cease. I was wrong.

Glen Squires

Spokane