Oregon Public Broadcasting

The federal government has given a Spokane utility the authority to operate five Spokane River dams for another 50 years. Four of the dams are in or near Spokane. The fifth is just across the border in northern Idaho.

The action taken Thursday ends seven years of negotiations over how the dams will be managed for the next half century.

Rachael Osborn from the Sierra Club calls the talks historic. She says community groups haven’t traditionally had much say in how Northwest dams are operated.

Rachael Osborn: “So this was the first opportunity that the public had ever had to come in and speak to the impacts of these dams on the Spokane River.”

Osborn is especially happy that the utility Avista has agreed to allow higher flows in the river during the summer months.

That will keep water tumbling over the iconic waterfalls in downtown Spokane during the driest months of the year.

An Avista spokeswoman estimates the utility will spend $300 million over 50 years on environmental projects that mitigate the effects of the dams.