Four the Future - October 15

River issues, including building dams, removing dams, discharging into the river, and cleaning up earlier discharges.

• Beavers just too dam busy
  Source: Spokesman-Review; October 15, 2010
  See Also:Four the Future - December 20
  Summary: The Lands Council is actively seeking beaver families to relocate around the region. They received a permit from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to trap beavers so that family groups could start building dams in areas where beavers had been eradicated. The new colonies will build dams which retain water and release it more slowly during the summer months.
  Opinion: I posted this video 10 months ago, and it was very popular. Just have to post it again:
  
  
  
• Wash. state approves permit to remove Condit Dam
  Source: Bloomberg Businessweek; October 13, 2010
  Summary: A critical water quality permit was issued for the removal of Condit Dam from the White Salmon River. The purpose is to restore chinook and steelhead habitat. More permitting is necessary. Removal is slated for 2020.
  
  
  
  Opinion: There was a time in the past when the rivers ran lousy with salmon. Prior to European contact, there was a vigorous trade in dried salmon meat. When they didn’t have enough money to purchase food during the Great Depression, people would go to the river to catch their fill. Salmon were so common that people in the northwest began to think of salmon as poor people’s food. Of course, that seems ridiculous today.
  
  This has been a long running issue, starting back in 1999, as documented by this 2002 High Country News article ( Condit Dam removal hits snags). You can get the governmental project information from Ecology.
  
• Wetland project a boon for birds along Coeur d'Alene River
  Source: Spokesman-Review; September 30, 2010
  Summary: $3 million has made 400 acres of wetlands along the lower Coeur d’Alene River safe for migratory birds by removing sources of lead. Lead levels at hot spots in the basin are 10 times the safe level for waterfowl. The land is now protected by an $875,000 conservation easement. There are 18,000 acres remaining to be remedied along this one river.
  Opinion: This is the legacy of the mining that occurred in this region. Lots of money was made. Now the costs are coming to us all. This is why it’s important for businesses to pay their full share of the costs of environmental mitigation rather than burden the taxpayers now or in the future.
  
• Public to review water quality permits for Spokane River dischargers in Washington
  Source: Washington Department of Ecology; October 4, 2010
  Summary: The State of Washington is proposing new limits for pollutants dumped into the Spokane River by the City of Spokane’s Riverside Park Water Reclamation Facility, Inland Empire Paper, Kaiser Aluminum, and Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District. New limits will be established for phosphorus, ammonia, and carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand. The permits are available for review at the Department of Ecology's Spokane Office, 4601 N. Monroe St., Spokane, Wash., 99205. Call 509-329-4004 for an appointment. The deadline for submitting comments is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010. Submit comments to the Permit Coordinator at stra461@ecy.wa.gov or by mail at 4601 N. Monroe St., Spokane, WA 99205.
  Opinion: Just like the mining interests, the costs belong to the ones to discharge. There has been debate over the technical ability to achieve certain limits, but working on this issue for the last decade, I've been convinced that it's doable.