Idaho Irrigation District and New Sweden Irrigation District (Districts) are proposing to divert flow around 3.5 miles of the Snake River to feed their County Line Hydroelectric Projects (CLHP). The affected stretch of the Snake River is located about 10 miles north of Idaho Falls and is known as the Osgood Reach. A description of the CLHP is contained on the Project description page of this website.
“Upper Snake Advocates” is a group of homeowner associations and individuals who believe the CLHP is not in the public interest because it would cause unacceptable damage to the Osgood Reach while producing an inconsequential amount of electricity that is not needed locally. We created this site to inform the community regarding the CLHP. We will update this site as information is received. We encourage you to become familiar with the CLHP.
Districts must secure a license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Energy Commission (FERC), water rights from the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) and have Bonneville County rezone portions of riverbank for industrial use. We are requesting that the FERC, IDWR and Bonneville County deny authorizations required to implement the CLHP.
Districts have financial incentive to divert the maximum amount of water around the Osgood Reach to the feed the CLHP. Federal and state regulatory agencies will restrict the amount of water diversion to the CLHP so a minimum flow is maintained within the Osgood Reach to protect long-term river habitat. At issue is how this minimum protective flow will be determined.
Upper Snake Advocates members are actively engaged in the CLHP permitting process with the goal of ensuring that credible studies of CLHP impacts on river habitat are completed. We have had some success toward this goal, but believe most of the Districts’ assessments and studies of project impacts are severely flawed and not credible (see page CLHP Impacts ).
Districts’ assessment of CLHP impacts on the reach fishery is an extreme outlier compared to decades of empirical data collected by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, two established “setting methods” recognized by the FERC (Tennant and Wetted Perimeter) and essentially all world-wide literature references regarding impact of flow reduction on overwinter trout survival. Districts are essentially asserting that this vast preponderance of credible data is wrong and that best way to protect the fishery is to drain the Osgood Reach to the 1,000 cubic feet per second historical extreme low flow (occurs less than 1% of the time) for up to 6 consecutive months throughout the winter (50% of the time). Essentially all stakeholders (Idaho state agencies, federal agencies, conservation groups and landowners along the river) dispute the Districts’ assertions.
We believe that submitting a petition to regulatory agencies expressing opposition to the CLHP is an effective way for our voices to be heard and encourage you to sign it.
Join us if you want to preserve Snake River habitat for now and the future. Contact us via blog or via email at Administrator@UpperSnakeAdvocates.com if you would like to help us or have questions.
Please see our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/uppersnakeadvocates.
You have me onboard!!
As a home owner and an avid fisherman on the stretch of river that would be impacted, a draw down as this group proposes will have big impact on fish, swans, eagles, and pheasant for a very, very tiny amount of power that is not needed. The trade off cannot possibly be worth it….
We purchased a home on Bear Island 10 years ago and are planning to retire there in two years. It was the location and river that moved us to buy, and now they want to take the river away? As much as I dislike Calif. I can honestly say this would never happen here.
What will this do to property values? And recreational value?
This project will be devastating to wildlife and the fishery,boating and property value’s. My wife and my self are opposed to this boondoggle. Patricia & Farrel Black. 74 N 3167 E
I am against construction of the hydroelectic plants on snake river since they will be harmful to both nature and the people living in the area. The plants will produce litte electric to offset the damage they will cause.
We are against the construction of this hydroelectric plant. It benefits no one but a few, and is a bad precedent for future development. What about the homeowners along the river and their investments? Are their rights trumped?
I absolutley oppose the hydroelectric plants…this would devastate our animals, plants, earth, and every living thing out there that has a spirit along the beatiful snake river. Our water is precious don’t ruin it, let it flow naturally…How can people be so selfish and think this is ok…have they no conscience,,,Don’t let people ruin Idaho this way!! Keep Idaho Scenic and beautiful!
I am against the building of a another hydroelectric plant on the snake river. With all of today’s technology isn’t there a better solution? What good are all those windmills on our skyline?
We are all aware of the term “urban sprall”. It is inevitable unless we all commune in Idaho Falls in upward trending high-rises. It is great to see and experience wild-life in our back yards but as population increases, as it will overtime, many will not oppose communal life in the Falls. So where do we draw the line? As you all are aware, this winter we had power challenges in sub-zero weather. I have a generator, camp stove, and water storage. But many do not, nor will they ever. A new power supplier will not only provide our community with new techknology on the power supplu industry (in a failing grid) but it will also provide competition that in a supply and demand market, will help lower the cost of electricity to us all. Rest assured, they will pay taxes that will be high (as we all know) but moreover, they will help our State and Federal tax coffers which pay for our “site” employees as well as bolster our roads, bridges, and utilities departments.
The Snake river is already “locked” as far as stealhead and salmon fishing. Fish ladders are at best – working…lost cause for many years. If you would like to fish natural areas go to the salmon river, clearwater and selway areas. Perhaps move there if you still want these areas in your back yard.
Please don’t take this harshly! I love these natural things as much as anyone else, but we need added infrastructure improvements, new technology, and commerce in our small community.
By the way – I have been invited to climb and assist in servicing the local wind farms. What people do not know is that only three of those windmills can provide power to say the city of Shelley, ID. forever! The taxes in the sale of that power to other areas of the Country help us all even though the power-broker may be over-paying =)
My say is let’s do this but hold our ground on current natural rivers….
Same old story – public natural resource degraded or destroyed for private profit. While I sympathize with affected landowners the real issue here should be simply denying this project to proceed on grounds of unnecessary risk to this great river and it’s nonhuman inhabitants. I had hoped we were beyond the nonsensical hydro “improvement” decades and would also like to hear our Idaho Fish& Game decry this threat to our river. No amount of promises of electric rate decrease or tax revenues that we’ve read about in previous comments can justify this unneeded and unwise venture.
I feel it is best to leave our wonderful rivers as untouched as possible and pursue other sources of power.
You have my support!
Please sign my name to the petition . Douglas Modrow
Billings MT
Leave the Snake River alone to run it’s course.
Where is the 20 year environmental impact study?
Let the river run freely.
I am against this project. It’s the same old story, a few people gain, but most will pay the price in years to come. Please stand with us and make this terrible project disappear. Thank you.
Jim Liljenquist
April 7, 2014
Sadly, Idaho has no provision for minimum stream flows and irrigators want to keep it that way. Once they are given a “water right” the water “belongs” to them. Currently, during irrigation season, the river itself has no rights at all to the water it carries.
This hydroelectric project proposal would extend those water rights for this section of the river to include winter and early spring months. There are currently no rights granted that would permit dewatering during this critical time of the year. All the water in the river already “belongs” to irrigators for most of the year. Let’s not extend that ownership to winter flows as well.
While most of the Snake River in this area ices over in the winter, the stretch for several hundred yards below the diversion remains open at all times with water spilling over the entire length of the diversion, providing critical oxygenation and open water that congregates fish, waterfowl, game birds raptors and other wildlife during this very difficult time of year. I am lucky enough to observe this stretch of the river from the windows of my home. To drastically reduce flows (and in many years completely dewater the river) as is proposed by this project, would have a devastating effect.
I am also concerned about the proposed, increased canal bank heights on both of the involved canals and how that would affect the flood plain between the two canals in extremely high water conditions.
This is a very bad, short sighted and blatantly selfish idea. It marginalizes the interests of wildlife and everyone who lives or recreates on this stretch of the river, focusing only on the benefit for a relative few individuals who would profit financially from it.
These projects would also set a terrible precedent for other canal/power projects at other sites on the North Fork and South Fork of the Snake River and other waterways in Idaho.
In my opinion, the people applying for new water rights for up to every drop in this section of the river during winter and early spring’s low water flows don’t need another government-subsidized source of income at the expense of the river and the wildlife and people who live here.
The fish, wildlife, and birds are attracted to the free flowing water below the diversion dam during the winter months when much of the Snake River is frozen and covered with snow. The congregation of nature in this area is a beautiful sight and one that should be preserved for future generations of Idaho folks to enjoy. It’s a sad day when a penny in your pocket destroys this natural habitat for the fish, swans, geese, ducks, eagles and other wildlife who call this home too. We all vote no, don’t do it.
I fish in these waters and hate to think what will happen to them. The lack of water will minimize oxygen in the water and may harm the existing fish. We should not be destroying more of our natural resources.
oppose
Please leave the river alone. This proposed project is too expensive for the little good it would do. Keep the river free flowing.
While I am for finding new ways to generate power and increasing revenue. I do not see the benefit in sacrificing the health and flow of the river for such an action is not necessary. I grew up with this piece of the river and am very fond of it. I know the farming practices that control the water, and I know the business end of trying to make money. But this Marginal benefit does not meet the marginal loss, or in other words its not worth the sacrifice of the river in this area.