Environmentalist sounds alarm over new U.S. dams

A U.S. environmental lawyer warns that Washington state is seriously considering the construction of more dams in the Columbia River basin – a move that could have implications for B.C.

Rachael Paschal Osborn of the Spokane-based Columbia Institute for Water Policy said a bill recently passed by state legislators encourages exploration for new water supply areas, and provides up to $200 million in funding.

"The focus of the bill is actually on building dams and reservoirs, and off-site channels that are adjacent to the Columbia River," she said.

There are already 14 dams along the river, which runs from B.C. into Washington state, creating vast reservoirs on both sides of the border.

"There are no sites left on the main stem," she said. "There are no sites left on the main tributaries, and so they're really picking off these last little habitats and pockets."

Paschal Osborn said the state is considering a dam in one of those pockets – at Moses Coulee, about 200 kilometres south of the border.

She is concerned that any new dams could harm fish stocks and reduce the overall water supply as huge amounts of water are diverted from the main body of the river.

She said it's too early to say what effects a new dam there would have upstream. But she thinks Canadian officials will want to be involved in Washington state's plans as soon as possible.