The Price of Power at Baker River
A deal between the Bureau of Fisheries and Stone & Webster allows for the construction of a massive hydroelectric dam in exchange for a salmon hatchery.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Construction work on the huge hydro-electric plant of the Stone & Webster Company at Concrete, on Baker River, in Skagit County, may now begin following withdrawal of the protest filed by the United States Bureau of Fisheries. The bureau initially objected that the 235-foot-high dam would prevent salmon from ascending to their spawning grounds. Following negotiations, the company proposed to construct a pond below the dam to hold adult salmon for spawning, effectively replacing the natural fishway with a managed hatchery. The plant will have a capacity of 45,000 horsepower and will cost approximately $600,000.
“The bureau objected to the construction of the plant... on the ground that the dam would prevent salmon from ascending the river to their natural spawning grounds.”
The conflict between hydroelectric power generation and the health of Pacific Northwest salmon runs continues to be one of the most critical environmental and economic struggles in the region today.
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