Roll On, Columbia

By Arnold Cogan, FAICP

Roll on, Columbia, roll on, roll on, Columbia, roll on /
Your power is turning our darkness to dawn /
Roll on, Columbia, roll on.

In 1941, the Bonneville Power Administration hired popular Oklahoma folksinger Woody Guthrie to write and produce that song as part of a documentary film to promote the benefits of hydropower in the Pacific Northwest.

It soon became popular, not only in the region but throughout the country. The 14 dams on the Columbia River and many others on its tributaries have indeed transformed the Pacific Northwest. Today the Columbia produces more hydroelectric power than any other river in North America.

The Columbia is truly the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest. It is a place where Native Americans and commercial and sport fishers catch salmon, and it's a place to swim, race sailboats, wind and kite surf, and to hike and enjoy the river's majestic beauty. Grain, timber, and manufactured goods ply the river to and from inland and coastal ports for consumers in the U.S. — and around the globe.

The river is 1,243 miles long. It begins in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and forms much of the border between Oregon and Washington before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. Its drainage area of 258,000 square miles nearly matches the land area of France and includes portions of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada.

Much has changed since Guthrie wrote his tribute in 1941. Among the most important are the increasing size of oceangoing vessels, the growth of oil and coal transport in mile-long trains to ports on the Pacific, and the ongoing challenge of balancing economic development with protection of unsurpassed views, fish and wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities.

Cultural heritage

The Pacific Northwest is defined as much by its landscape as its people. Majestic snow-topped peaks of the Cascade Mountain Range can be seen from its cities, towns, and open spaces. At its core is the complex and enormous Columbia River system. Native Americans lived in villages and communal houses along the banks of the lower Columbia. In the middle and upper sections, they moved seasonally in small groups. Fishing was central to sustenance and early trade.

Early European explorers arrived in the 17th century, mapping the Columbia, known then as the "River of the West." In May 1792, the first English visitor to the river, Robert Gray, was quickly followed by other British explorers who traveled more than 100 miles upriver. Americans Meriwether Lewis and William Clark mapped the river in 1805–06 when commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson. Shortly after the end of the War of 1812, both England and the U.S. occupied the Columbia River Basin Territory. British fur trading was the dominant economy of the time, with production and shipment to England via Fort Vancouver, Washington.

American settlers arrived in the Columbia and Willamette River valleys in the 1840s via the Oregon Trail blazed by Lewis and Clark decades earlier. The "Oregon Country," as it was known then, became part of the U.S. in 1846.

Fast-forward to 1938, when the Bonneville Dam and reservoir were completed, displacing many tribal settlements and villages. State and federal agencies attempted to provide alternative "mitigation" lands for them, with mixed success. The legacy of finding a balance among state, federal, and tribal governmental interests continues to this day.

Cash flow

Shipping, commerce, fishing, and energy production are still at the heart of the region's economy, especially in the Lower Columbia. About 1,300 oceangoing vessels plied the waterway last year, and that number is expected to increase significantly in the next few years with the expansion of coal and oil transport.

As a passageway to the Pacific, the river is an important shipping route for lumber, wheat, salmon, and many other goods. Canneries were built and operated as early as 1866 and have declined only recently. Fruit growers and orchardists established productive enterprises that flourish today along the Columbia in Hood River, Oregon, and the Yakima Valley, Washington.

Large-scale engineering projects defined much of the Columbia's potential in the 20th century. Diversion, retention, reclamation, and usage of water for irrigation were major reasons for dam construction in the middle part of the last century. More recently, dredging the river to allow for increasingly large cargo ships has been contested by environmentalist and fisheries groups. They contend with local port operators, who have vested interests in channel deepening and contribute to the costs of channelization, with the federal government paying the largest share.

Commercial fishing on the Columbia has a long, controversial history. The industry is highly controlled and depends on hatcheries for the bulk of its stock. There are five zones along the Columbia below Bonneville Dam where non-Indian commercial gillnetters are permitted and one between the Bonneville and McNary Dams for Indian fishers.

The beauty of the Columbia River Gorge draws hundreds of thousands of outdoors enthusiasts annually. To protect the area from unplanned or damaging development and recognize its unsurpassed beauty, the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area was created by Congress in 1986. Management is shared by the U.S. Forest Service and the Columbia River Gorge Commission, whose members are appointed by local jurisdictions in the NSA.

The Act mandates the protection and enhancement of scenic, cultural, natural, and recreational resources in addition to protecting and enhancing the gorge economy. The NSA encompasses an area of about 292,500 acres along the river, about half of which is privately owned and the rest under the jurisdictions of the Forest Service and the states of Oregon and Washington.

The NSA and its associated management plan are generally accepted today, but were widely controversial at their inception. Skamania County on the Washington side was so hostile that its governing body lowered the American flag to half-staff when the Act was signed.

Six counties, three in Washington and three in Oregon, are responsible for reviewing proposed land developments within the NSA. Their charge is to assure compliance of their regulations with the management plan for the NSA.

"The respective land-use and development ordinances have not gone through major revisions since adoption almost 27 years ago," notes John Roberts, AICP, planning director of Wasco County, Oregon, which is within the NSA. He believes it would be worthwhile to pursue significant updates to the ordinances, so they can be "more flexible, pragmatic, and effective, in particular as they pertain to visual impacts."

According to Jessica Davenport, AICP, planning manager of Skamania County, a specific responsibility of counties is complying with the state Shoreline Management Act. As she explains, "It requires, among other things, that each county with a shoreline must have an approved Shoreline Management Master Program approved by the state that includes designations for urban, natural, and other land uses." The regulation applies to all land within 200 feet of the river.

Davenport also expresses concerns about the continuing challenge of balancing recreation with open space needs. "Visitors coming to the county to visit recreation sites and enjoy the scenery are constantly overcrowding available parking lots," she says, adding, though, that "of greatest concern for the next five to 10 years is the economy. There aren't enough jobs or affordable housing to satisfy demand. To deal with this, the county is considering rezoning areas outside the scenic area to stimulate development of breweries, wineries, distillers, and recreational marijuana."

Working together

The Columbia River Treaty is just one of several intergovernmental river agreements. Originating in British Columbia, the river spans into a network of tributaries, impacting an area larger than seven states. The treaty, ratified by the U.S. and Canada in 1964, solidifies each country's obligation, primarily in regard to water rights.

The earliest date the treaty could end is in 2024. At that point, either side is permitted to terminate, but they must give 10 years notice, and renegotiation efforts are expected to effect changes. According to Richard Whitman, the natural resources policy director under Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, "An issue which undoubtedly will be included is future purchase from Canada of flood storage. This will impact fisheries and flood risk. Native American tribes are likely to ask that a new section be inserted in the treaty that expresses their desire to produce greater benefits for the ecosystem."

And indeed they have done so already. "Fifteen tribes are working together in a common approach for a new treaty," says Carl Merkle, the salmon policy analyst with the Umatilla Tribe. "The old treaty made no provision to protect the environment and create flood control. Tribes want to add provisions to protect fish and [a] self-sufficient and sustainable water quality."

Tribal concerns about access to the river and traditional fishing grounds are a major issue. After many years of conflicts and negotiations, the Yakama, Warm Springs, Umatilla, and Nez Perce tribes (with a combined population of about 21,500) created the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission to advocate for their interests in helping manage the river, encourage conservation of wildlife and salmon, and balance multiple uses.

The Lower Columbia Solutions Group, another cooperative effort, is a bistate partnership convened in 2002 by the governors of Oregon and Washington. Nearly 30 local, state, and federal stakeholders raise issues, collaborate on policy, and develop solutions for sediment management in the lower Columbia River.

One success story concerns the endeavor to find beneficial uses for the four million cubic yards of sand dredged every year by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the river's mouth to keep shipping channels open. The LCSG and its partners are implementing a regionwide sediment management plan that provides a regional rather than a state-by-state approach to this important issue.

Since electricity production is a major benefit of — and cost to — the river, President Jimmy Carter in 1980 signed the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act and established the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, composed of representatives from the four Pacific Northwest states. Its mandate is to guide development of power and energy resources in the region, with special attention to the environmental costs and effects on fragile ecosystems.

In 1983, NPCC issued its first regional power plan after widespread public review. Priority was given to cost-effective strategies to maintain and increase resources, such as demand-side management, conservation, and renewable generation. According to informed observers, this requirement to plan regionally and include a vigorous public process is a welcome change in power planning. Previous piecemeal and isolated efforts using traditional supply and demand analyses are replaced with comprehensive plans based on multiple path futures, full cost-benefit analyses, and incorporation of other applicable planning goals.

NPCC chair Bill Bradbury says, "As a result of our regional planning, we have the largest focused fish and wildlife conservation planning program in the world and we are starting to see real results. On the energy side, what's most exciting are our efforts to reduce our reliance upon fossil fuels."

High energy

Central to the burgeoning economy of the Lower Columbia is energy planning, production, and distribution. The river's vast resources are harnessed by dams that generate over 16,000 average megawatts of electricity during normal precipitation and runoff years (one average megawatt is equal to one million watts supplied continuously for one year). Nearly two-thirds of the four-state region's power supply is from hydropower, with about 14 percent each from coal-fired and natural gas power plants.

Nuclear and wind power comprise the rest, and the region is committed to taking the lead in renewable energy generation. That means dealing with continuing issues of system integration, aesthetics, and wildlife conservation. According to Whitman, the Oregon governor's aide, among the several important issues to that effect is the development of wind energy.

Wind power from turbines along the ridges of the Columbia Gorge in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington is increasing. The NPCC has a goal of producing 6,000 megawatts of wind power by 2024. Today, the greater four-state region has 9,004 MW installed capacity, but only 2,838 MW can be produced over the course of an average year. In the entire state of Oregon there is an installed capacity of 3,153 MW, and in Washington 2,808 MW. Many wind farm developments are located in the Columbia Gorge. However, they are prohibited within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

Then there are fossil fuels. "Every coal train leaves an estimated 10,200 pounds of toxic coal dust in the gorge." This is a common rallying cry behind the movement to stop coal exports from Montana and Wyoming from reaching the Pacific by rail transport through Oregon and Washington.

Recently, Friends of the Columbia Gorge, Power Past Coal Coalition, Greenpeace, and many other organizations successfully lobbied the Oregon Department of State Lands to deny a permit for a coal export terminal in the Port of Morrow in eastern Oregon. More efforts are under way to limit or modify transportation of coal on trains and barges through the Columbia River Gorge. Tribal organizations like CRITFC also oppose increased coal exports.

"We need to pay attention to what Indian tribes call 'first foods,'" says the Umatilla Tribe's Merkle. These include "water, fish (including salmon and others), big game, certain plants, game, roots, and berries. Railroad transport of fossil fuels poses a threat to these resources."

Currently, 18 oil trains traverse the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge each week, and a proposal for an oil train terminal in Vancouver, Washington, that could nearly double the number of trains was recently rejected by the city council. Each train carries about 80,000 barrels of oil. The risk of spills that could endanger local communities is a growing concern. Moreover, the capacity of the river system to withstand demand from future oil, gas, and coal transport remains an unknown.

"As the powers of the Gorge Commission emanate from federal law, it has the authority to exercise federal regulations over the railroads," notes Jeffrey Litwak, legal counsel for the Columbia River Gorge Commission. "The railroads are aware of this and, recently, Burlington Northern and Union Pacific railroad met with the commission to discuss potential issues," adds Litwak.

When one talks about fossil fuels and their local impacts, it's almost impossible to avoid mentioning climate change. That is a major concern of many citizens and organizations.

Winter snowpack is vital to normal flows from melted snow over the spring and summer months. By impacting the seasonality and rates of snowfall and snowmelt — much higher flows in the winter (less snow, more rain), and faster snowmelt rates — climate change has an immediate and future impact on fisheries that rely on salmon migration. Changes in flow quantity and seasonality also are expected to significantly impact hydropower. These and other issues are just beginning to be studied and confirmed.

Ongoing challenges

The Columbia River is a complex system and will remain so. As planners, public officials, civic groups, and residents look to the future, they continue to face significant challenges.

At present, the capacity of the river system and anticipated future demand for oil, gas, and coal transport is unknown. This issue is controversial on many fronts: political, environmental, and economic. An additional concern is the efficacy of the current situation, where each individual permit application is evaluated on its specific merits and potential effects, with a decision rendered by the appropriate agency for that case alone. A systemwide review mechanism should be explored.

Many parties agree that the river's role in producing hydropower is directly related to development of wind energy resources, potential climate change impacts, and renegotiation of that portion of the Columbia River Treaty dealing with sharing hydropower output between the U.S. and Canada. Although a consensus on solutions has not yet emerged, there is widespread agreement that the unique focus of the NPCC on balancing fish and wildlife habitat protection and restoration with ensuring power production for the region is working. A key political question is whether this way of dealing with the issues suffices to meet multiple future needs.

For the Native American tribes and many others who depend on the river for their livelihoods, balancing fish and wildlife habitat needs with recreational uses and development activities along the river is a continual challenge.

Still, the Columbia River is an unsurpassed resource everyone in the Pacific Northwest cherishes. Sound planning, intergovernmental cooperation, and broad — and strong — nonprofit and citizen activism promise to keep it that way.

Arnold Cogan is a founding principal of Cogan Owens Greene, a multidisciplinary firm of planners, public process experts, and other professionals based in Portland, Oregon. Contributors to this article include Jim Owens, a principal in the firm; Anthony Levenda, a PhD candidate in urban studies at Portland State University; and Elaine Cogan, also a founding principal of Cogan Owens Greene.

Resources

Image: Industries in seven U.S. states depend on the Columbia River and its tributaries for shipping routes, power, and other resources. The Weyerhaeuser Company's NORPAC facility near Longview, Washington, is the largest paper mill in the U.S. Located on the banks of the Columbia, the plant runs on hydroelectric energy from the Bonneville Dam, 80 miles upstream, and ships its products downstream to the Pacific. Photo by Jay Dotson.

The Confluence Project is an ambitious collaboration of Pacific Northwest tribes; renowned artist Maya Lin; civic groups from Washington and Oregon; and other artists, architects, and landscape designers to place six public art installations at significant points along the Columbia River system. The project sites are intended to be "teachable places" where visitors can explore the confluence of history, culture, and ecology in the Pacific Northwest. Learn more: www.confluenceproject.org.