Hydroelectric Dams on Oregon’s Willamette River Kill Salmon. Congress Says It’s Time to Consider Shutting Them Down.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it could make hydroelectric dams on Oregon ’s Willamette River safe for endangered salmon by building mechanical mechanical traps and hauling baby fish downstream in tanker trucks.

The Corps started pressing forward over objections from fish advocates and power users who said the plan was costly and untested.

A scientific review found that the type of fixes the Corps is proposing would not stop the extinction of threatened salmon.

Congress ordered the Corps to put its plans on hold and consider a simpler solution: Stop using the dams for electricity.

NOAA proposed more than two dozen changes for the Corps , ranging from better monitoring of the species to altering the river flow to better accommodate migrating salmon.

The agency is still reviewing NOAA ’s opinion and deciding what action to take.

Grand Ronde tribeswoman says she is encouraged that the latest developments on the Willamette point to a future where salmon and people could coexist.