BOISE — It's an issue that has plagued the state for decades, dividing Idahoans and searching for a solution. Environmentalists, federal agencies and power companies are still trying to find common ground on how to protect salmon but to still provide the things people need - like power and irrigation.
"The current system is perpetually broken and perpetually expensive," said Zack Waterman, director of the Idaho Sierra Club.
Now, because of a May 2016 ruling by U.S. District Judge Michael Simon, agencies like the Bureau of Reclamation and the Bonneville Power Administration are starting from square one and holding public meetings under the National Environmental Policy Act.
"He said if salmon are to have any chance of surviving their encounter with modern man we must implement new ways of thinking," said Waterman. "He directed them to consider major hydro operation changes including bypassing or breaching the four lower Snake River dams."
