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The story behind the story. . .AMERICAN FALLS'NEW DAM\..Caveness doesn't know what the company plans for the larger fish and what it considers acceptable mortailiiy levels. ylt may be well over 50 per cent/ he says.'Overview of proposed dam: sectional (top)/ and from aboveBy STEVE CRUMP journal Staff WriterThe Snake Rivet, c.timaiolists tell us, is a desert stream, cutting a swath from the Teton foothills to the Columbian paloiise through 700 miles of the driest land in I he United States.Even today, along much of its course, dry lands descend to within a few yards of its copious waters as it wanders through layered carpets of basalt and rhyolite which throughout the river’s antidiluvian iiistory have buried it again and again in successive invasions of molten lava —dictating the desolation of tills land.Rut one of man's more fundamental inventions, the dam, has turned the course of the Upper Snake into some of the most fertile farm land in the West— accounting for perhaps half of Idaho's agricultural productivity directly and for perhaps two-third indirectly. The dams at Jackson Lake, Island Park, palisades and American Falls make up the Minidoka Project, the raison d'etre of the Magic Valley.The last of these structures is also the oldest—the dam al American Falls was built in 1927 at the then extravagant cost of about S3.5 million, A concrete gravity dam built on the western outskirts of the old town of American Falls, its optimum capacity was 1,700,000 acre feet. The new reservoir caused the townsfolk to move to higher ground, backed waters up on the Ft. Hall Indian Reservation and facilitated about a 75 per cent increase in agricultural productivity in areas downstream by 1940.In addition, the hydroelectric power generated supplied the lion’s share of Idaho Power's customers in southern Idaho until several years ago.But by 1929, the dam had begun to deteriorate, Engineers attributed the phenomenon to an alkalai-silicate reaction; the sodium and potassium hydroxides in the cement reacted with opaline particulates in the aggregate (gravel) to form a rim of alkaline silicate around each particle. This caused the par ticles to expand, creating an inner force which produced horizontal cracks in the downstream face of the dam measuring quarter-inch across by 1959. More ominous, engineers warned, the forces being exerted on the structure were greater towards the sides, causing a dangerous structural imbalance.As a result, in 1964 water levels were reduced. Last September, they were reduced again to 1,125,000 acre feet -G6 percent of capaticy. That contributed to a decrease of 1,435,000 acre feet in the capacity or the Minidoka system in one year, to a levelrmr fcii{ nf r'ln.'iritV dllfi to SllOI't-ages in the other reservoirs*In October of Last year, a conference between Idaho Power and space holders of the American Falls Reservoir District resulted in preliminary studies of financing for a new dam. The spaceholders uamn up with a proposal in Marehby which they would finance the project by private funds, obtained in part through a bond election, and in part through reservoir space concessions. As a consequence, two bills were in. traduced in Congress last spring —SI529 by Senators Frank Church and Jim McClure and HR67 82 by Congressmen orval Hansen and Steve Symms. The bills were enabling legislation which authorized the Secretary of Interior to enter into agreements with non-federal agencies for the replacement of the dam.The senate bill—including a provision that any construction disputes between the spaceholders and the Secretary would be submitted to binding arbitration— was introduced April 10, was the subject of Sen-ate hearings by Church’s Interior Subcommittee on Water and Power Resources on June 15 and was passed by the lull Senate four days later, -The House bill, introduced by Hansen April 10, was not formally considered by Rep. Harold T. “Bizz” Johnson's (D-Calif,), House Interior Subcommittee onWa* ter and Power Resources until August, arid was the subject of a field hearing held in Burley Oct. 6*The proposals went to the full interior Committee, which approved it on Dec. 10; it was approved by the hill House Dec, 17, okayed by conferees the next day and currently awaits the President’s signature.The arbitration question was settled in a conference among the spaceholders, Idaho Power, Bechtel Engineering, the Bureau of Reclamation and representatives of the Interior Department in November — the final bill reportedly does not contain the arbitration measure. Despite the almost uncanny unanimity presented to the committee at the Burley field hearings (“You certainly seem to have your ducks in a row,” remaxkedone Congressman), there are two serious problems remaining to Uie construction of the dam which could conceivably result in litigation which would ditch the project.The first problem involves tho famed fishing in the forebay ol the present dam. Under the construction plans, not only would the fore bay be eliminated but many experts believe the waters immediately below the dam would so devoid of oxygen game fish could not survive. Further, there is a question of how fish can traverse the turbines which will run thp fiO mprfiwHtt raiterators in thepowerhouse located 280 feet downstream.It was originally believed the forebay could be preserved by passing 50 cubic feet per second of water flow around the powerhouse. The problem is that the elimination of the turbidwatcrs would create a havenfur trash fish —carp and suckers, to the detriment of game fish.To preserve the life of the forebay would require a flow 60 times that proposed in the design—with 20,000 cubic yards of fill in the bottom of the forebay—period of prosperity/In the present dam, the water is aereated as it passes through the underwater gates, providing both the flow and the oxygen and nitrogen to sustain a thriving trout and coho population in the forehay. With the elimination of the forebay, the oxygen-ni-trogen imbalance caused by the turbines— would not be corrected for several hundred yards downstream.The American Falls Bridge Committee, a group of American Falls and Aberdeen residents, met with representatives of the spaceholders and Idaho Power in September and gained assurances that a method for tire safe passage of the fish through the darn would be found. No such proposal has yet been presented, however.Rower County prosecutor, Ben Cave-ness is a member of the AF Bridge Committee and participated in discussions with the coordinating agencies. He says the group plans to hold the spaceholders and Idaho Power to their promise.“We all realize we are going to lose the forebay,” Cnveness says. “We're concerned wiiat effects the reservoir water will have on the river below.The problem is, according toCavcness, that the effects aren’t known, and hence, the best means of mitigation is uncertain. What will happen to fish plants in (lie river itself, he asked? What about the fish in the reservoir? How will oxygen-mtrogeu balance be regulated, and more importantly, who knows what the levels of oxygen and nitrogen in the water— above the dam, immediately below and in the river downstream— will be?“We;re 1 joking now at environmental measures, at sportsman's access, at the question of mitigation—the issue is pretty much tied up in the Federal Power Commission application.The FPC must review Idaho Power’s application for environmental considerations before the project can get final approval. That application, with an Idaho Fish and Game Department report, will likely be submitted in my by Idaho Power.know what the company plans for the larger fish and what it considers acceptable mortality levels.Nor does Fish and Game Department biologist John Heimer, who has worked on the project.“What is a high fish kill I don’t have any idea, he says. It may be well over50 per cent.”Heimer said the FGD report for the Idaho Power application is being prepared under the direction of Terry Hollubtez of the department’s stale offices. Hollubtez could not be readied for comment on when that report will le submitted and what its content will be, but Heimer describes the current situation as hi a state of flux.” This is a real touchy situation,” Heimer says. It’s uncertain at this point what the FPC would require.”Heimer says hie overall tenefits of the dam need to be weighed-- tisii losses against increased pheasant habitat downstream, for example.“We're not doing this so much as an agency,” Heimer suggests. “As an agency we’re for the flam benefits, we want the reservoir. We just don’t want to see those fish habitats destroyed if we can avoid it.” Wendell Smith, of Idaho Power's Boise headquarters, says the FgI) statement will be attached as mi exhibit to the applica. tion.“We’ll try to seal it in a package, Smith says, “the FPC will look it over and then send it to the interested parties* It's likely that the other parties will have a chance to comment.”Smith doubts there will be litigation involved in the construction of the dam, because, he says, the power company is amenable to some proposed changes.“Milo Bell, a consultant with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has done a report on iie fish kills. It will take some more study before we know the size, local quantities of the fish population mid review the damage to fish.”Smith says he's optimistic about finding an equitable solution.Idaho Power’s chief attorney in the mitigation issue, Tom Nelson of Twin Falls, says he would like to have the company's application in by this spring because of the projected 14-month lag between its submission and the beginning of construction.“Wc don't foresee any litigation,” Nelson says. “Things are still in kind of a state of flux, but I hope the company's proposals will meet the approval of all the interested parties.” Nelson says he expects extremely close scrutiny by the FPC of all the environmental issues.The second major problem involves a longstanding complaint by the Slioshone-Bannock Tribes arising from the construe, tioii of the first reservoir.When the first dam was completed, the enabling legislation iiorporated several provisions for the compensation of the Indians, those promises were never fulfilled.As a consequence, Hie tribes have asked that no more lands be inundated or eroded by the waters of the new dam. That would place a maximum level of the water surface at 4,354.5 feet above sea level— the capacity of the present reservoir* Any tiigher surface levels, the Indians insist, would not only destroy more lands but threaten the sacred Ft* Hall Bottoms, guaranteed by act of Congress.The bill provides that “the Secretary shall continue the program of prevention of a compensation fur erosion related to the reservoir.” Two memljers of the House Interior Committee, Rep* William Kethom, R-Calif., and Rep. Don Clausen, R-Calif., told tribal representatives at the field hearings they would keep the Indian request for no more destruction of tribal lands in mind.But the Indians have heard no more.“Until we see what the bill says, J don’t know what more we can do,” says Angela Butterfield, a member of tho Ft.Hall Business Council, We haven't seen the language of the bill yet.”Mrs* Butterfield says she hopes the Secretary ol Interior will keep the Indian land rights in mind, but would like some more substantive guarantees.The cause of concern is a committee established under the original dam legislation, composed of representatives of the Bureau of Indian Affairs mid the Bureau of Reclamation, cliarged with looking out for Indian claims. Not only have the tribes heard nothing about the special committee in the 47 years of the dam’s existence, a recent audit showed that §11,000 compensation was all the Indians received for lands lost since the construction of the original reservoir—and tliat those funds were placed in the Shoshone-Bannoek accouots without the tribe's knowledge or consent.The Business Council made that discovery only recently and by accident— when it found a team of Bureau of Reclamation surveyors on the Bottoms using maps printed under the auspices of the phantom committee, dated 1955.“The Indiaiis never have agreed to any such settlement/7 Mrs. Butterfield says. “The funds were placed into the Indian account by our Indian agent, swept under the rug. If we are not protected there’s the possibility of that happening again.”Mrs. Butterfield says the $11,000 incident is indicative uf the policies of many agencies dealing with the Indians: to tell the tribes as little as possible.“The government lias been saying we have been paid for erosion all along, but the tribes never agreed to thnse payments— The superintendent did* The trouble with the BIA is that those people are long gone up the bureaucratic ladder and we’re stuck with their actions.”Mrs. Butterfield says an the nine years she's been on the Council, the tribes have never been approached with any compensation.“[ wouldn’t want to say what wa may do at this point,” Mrs. Butterfield says* There’s not much the Indians can do. We're just keeping our fingers crossed and relying on oirr friends in Congress.She did say, however, that if the tribes are not consulted in the future before such arrangements are made, “We may get ourselves a good lawyer.”Congressman Hansen said in October the Indian erosion-compensation issue would be dealt with jn the language of the bill. His office said last week the tribes would be compensated for any erosion, “if it takes place,”TIicj language of the bill apparentlydoes not specifically bar any further destruction by erosion or inundation of the Shoshone-Rannoek lands. And as before, it leaves Hie discretion for compensation with the Secretary of interior, i.e. the BIA.How do the people most directly affected by the construction of the dam feel:— American Falls mayor Mert Ferguson; f think my first feeling is that Pm certainly looking forward to the construction of the dam* Because of the construction, it should h-’ing a tremendous period of prosperity to American Falls. I don't think it will create additional problems, and I think we can accommodate the construction facilities.”“History seems to say we're in for a period of growth, which should climax in a couple of years* With all the other related industries, 1 think we can look for an increase in the economy.”— State Rep. Ralph Wheeler, R-American Falls: “To me It's utterly fantastic how this has progressed so far so fast. The cooperation lias been something to behold.”“I would think the dam will have quite an impact on American Falls, and on Pocatello as well. The peak crew won't be here for the long term -perhaps two or three years—but it certainly will be a boost to our economy, which, I imagine, will be stretched to the breaking point. There is a problem of where people are going to live, but we have contracts now for trailer courts* I think private enterprise will be able to accommodate it.”— Jim Ling, Rupert attorney, counsel for the spaceholders; There still are things that have io be done—legislation on the stale level, bonding, procedures with the falling water contracts* The only problem 1 see is the fish mitigation issue, I tliink the Idalio Fish and Game Department will recognize the pros and cons and not make demands we are not in a position to handle. I'm sure the FPC contract will be granted.“I would hope tlie applications with the FPC would be filled in September, in time for the 14-month lag to keep us on schedule. Because oi the lag time in the considers* tion, I hope, everything can be submitted 011 time so construction can start somewhere around March of 1975.”So pending the passage of a $24 million bond issue this spring, and the resolution of same heretofore thorny problems, the Minidoka Project may be up to capacity by the 1976 growing season—which is important for the 200,Odd people who depend directly on the 900,000 acres ot blooming desert brought to you courtesy the American Falls dam.resulting In a lass of 58 per cent of the power-generating capacity.American Falls Mayor Mert Ferguson: 'History seems to say we're in for a period of growth, which should climax in a couple of years. With all the other related industries. . . it should bring a tremendousAlthough Idaho Power ts conductingstudies on the elimination of fish kills with the new dam’s design, Caveuesadoesn't4 N»wW«iki»©«jr*d Hi$hw»jrMifhw«yCmrwOraJnN*w Puwarhuw**ftlOOT CM RAN KMC NT O-DliTT CMftANMENT A-AINTAKE SECTION C-C4366.5tadlol Oahr - Gaf* *\\_Ga(f«ry fHaw SjMHwNawHighway^ 1 tridga 1Existing Pumping PlantSPILLWAY SECTION S^Sidtlbound Highway LanasExistingUmmHighway lm«Strangfhattad existing Dam................Maw Concrata
Newspaper Details
Idaho State Journal
Pocatello, Idaho, US
Fri, Dec 28, 1973
Page 12
Full Page
Clipped by
New M.
NM, USA 26 Nov 2019
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