Published: Friday, April 26, 2013, 12:01 a.m.
•The North Fork of the Sky is designated part of the Washington State Scenic River system;
•Dams have been proposed in this area have been denied four times in the past 30-years;
The flow over Sunset and Canyon Falls will be altered forever and reduced to a trickle;
The dam is located in critical habitat for endangered Bull Trout and salmon species;
The estimated cost of the project is $150-million for 10,000 homes or $15,000 per home;
During summer months, there is not sufficient flow to generate power;
Climate change will further diminish power generation;
The dam conflicts with Washington state law for renewable energy credits under I-937;
The intake structure alone is as big as Seahawk stadium;
Over 165,000 cubic yards of granite will be blasted and hauled away for disposal;
•A 19-foot diameter tunnel half a mile long will be blasted through granite for the penstock;
Is this major construction project in an environmentally sensitive area low-impact? I think not! Just imagine what a grant of $15,000 would do for 10,000 homes if this money were spent on installing solar power.
Lynnwood