Dooming a dam saves dollars by Rebecca ClarrenDooming a dam
saves dollars The operator of the Condit Dam in southeastern
Washington recently concluded that what's good for the salmon is
also good for the company's bottom line. On Sept. 22, it agreed
to demolish the dam by 2006. In 1996, the federal government
told dam operator PacifiCorp that a new license for the dam
would require more than $30 million worth of fish ladders and
other protections for the river's salmon. Since the 85-year-old
dam only provides enough electricity to power 13,000 homes, says
spokesman Dave Kvomme, the renovation "doesn't even come close
to penciling out as an economic resource for our customers." The
dam will cost about $17 million to take down. Environmentalists
are thrilled. "I think (the agreement) says it's possible to get
together with dam operators and arrive at solutions that meet
everybody's needs," says Katherine Ransel of American Rivers, a
nonprofit group that for eight years has spearheaded efforts to
remove the dam.