U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon did not order the breaching of any Columbia River dams when he said the U.S. government’s salmon and steelhead recovery plan for the Columbia River system is flawed.
He did not order an investigation into breaching dams on the massive system, but he did say the new environmental impact study he ordered could consider it.
And that’s what will happen, said U.S. Army Corps Lt. Col. Damon Delarosa, who took command in July. Delarosa gave a brief update on the hydropower system on Tuesday at the Eastern Washington Ag Expo, which continued Wednesday.
Delarosa acknowledged the call by environmentalists to breach dams to support rehabilitation of 13 species of salmon and steelhead on the system was heard loud and clear at a series of “scoping” meetings.