Paul Allen and the Columbia River

[Rich McVey]

News Link

Today Paul Allen of Microsoft fame, in cooperation with the Northwest Economic Council (NEC), announced a plan to reroute the Columbia River in order to boost the economy of the Pacific Northwest. The plan would create a 65-mile canal stretching from Longview to Olympia thereby allowing the Columbia River to empty into the Puget Sound.

Tom Helford, a civil engineer and project manager in the Army Corps of Engineers, said that the project “will not be that difficult.” Helford claimed channeling the Columbia’s natural volume would do most of the work. “Every second, 265,000 cubic feet per second flow through the mouth of the Columbia. If channeled properly, the equivalent of three Olympic size swimming pools per second can carve a new river system into the Puget Sound using the same process that created the Columbia River Basin thousands of years ago.”

Helford insists that such feats of engineering are not unique in US history. “In the early 1800s, without modern equipment, the Erie Canal was built spanning over 360 miles in New York State. Less than a hundred years later, in the dawn of the 20th century, the Army Corps of Engineers bridged the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by completing the 46-mile Panama Canal. So, can we reroute the Columbia into the Puget Sound? Easily.”

The three year project is designed to boost the economy of the Pacific Northwest by routing more overseas traffic through the Puget Sound. In addition, housing prices between Longview and Olympia are expected to skyrocket. Gene Eggers of Sound Realty explains “The median home price in Centralia [Washington] is just over $200, 000. But riverfront homes in Vancouver and elsewhere are three to four times that amount. Imagine having a river front home in Centralia. It would be a dream come true for many people as they watched their home prices double or triple overnight.”

But while the project is expected to be a boon to the local economy, it is not without its own costs. The Army Corps of Engineers estimate $100 million for dredging operations in the 65 mile stretch, while the NEC estimates another $500 million for property buyouts, relocations and traffic modifications to local infrastructure. However, philanthropist Paul Allen has committed to covering over half of this $600 million dollar price tag, which accounts for only 2% of his estimated net worth of over $15 billion.

“This move is the right move for Washington, Oregon and Idaho,” says Maureen Novak, economist and researcher at the University of Washington. “Our economy is in such a tailspin right now that we must find new and innovative ways to invest in our economy in order to get back on the road to recovery. This is the kind of innovative thinking we should have engaged in a decade ago. Doing so may have prevented this recession before it started.”

Washington Governor Christine Gregoire also announced her support saying, “This biennium, Washington is facing a $5.5 billion shortfall. A project like this would be a boon to Washington’s economy: the goose that laid the golden egg.” Gregoire added that if Allen were to simply gift the state of Washington $300 million to assist with the current budget shortfall, it would serve a one-time purpose. But investing it in a project of this magnitude would provide annual windfalls in perpetuity.

But the plan is not without its critics. Many are concerned about the threat of moving from their homes in the region, saying that the I-5 corridor is always a flood hazard as it is. Environmental advocates are also worried about the effects such a change would have on fish (such as salmon and sturgeon native to the Columbia) and wildlife populations, and even wildlife migration patterns.

Then of course there are the people in the coastal towns such as Astoria, OR who rely on the tourism and commerce brought about in large part because of the Columbia River. Ron Suomela, US History teacher at Astoria High School and descendent of Finnish settlers in the region says, “People come to Astoria to stand where Lewis and Clark stood, to see the empire the John Jacob Astor built, and to see the contributions of the Chinook tribe to western traders. If this thing actually happens, we are robbing our heritage. The past will become a memory that will only fade with time. What message will this convey to our kids and our community?”

But despite the heated debate, the economic projections are very favorable. In the first few years, according to the NEC, Oregon and Washington combined can expect to see an influx of an additional $3 billion flow in to the northwest economy. The possibility of adding hydroelectric power in this stretch of land will only increase that number in future years.

Says Novak, “In the words of Victor Hugo, ‘There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.’ And the time has definitely come.”

[Mike Carey]

FYI, my apologies to Rich M, I tried to move the Paul Allen Columbia river topic to off topic and instead it went Off Site. My bad...

[kevinb]

Its still here but showed up in the photo location game thread

[BentRod]

LOL......that explains how the photo location game got so off track.

[Mike Carey]

back where it belongs.

[BentRod]

All I can say is it's April 1st. I don't believe this for a moment.

[natetreat]

Rerouting the columbia? Would it just be a channel, or would it get rid of the mouth? That seems to be a giant idea with lots of environmental consequences. That would be crazy!

[bionic_one]

Rerouting the columbia? Would it just be a channel, or would it get rid of the mouth? That seems to be a giant idea with lots of environmental consequences. That would be crazy!

Hooooooook set!!!! Fish on, reeeel 'em in!!!!! Nice one Rich!!!!

[MarkFromSea]

All I can say is it's April 1st. I don't believe this for a moment.

LOL My thoughts exactly! Good one!

[Rich McVey]

Yea, was intended as my contribution to the widely celibrated holiday, April Fools Day. :jocolor:

I was not the original writer.

Besides, It could never be as cheap as they stated. The billions in over runs alone....

[Amx]

If they did at least I wouldn't have to drive so far to fish the river. lol