We support a collaborative action plan to remove Enloe Dam so that the Similkameen River is returned to its natural state.

This is important because:

• Communities are realizing the value of their rivers:
  Removing obsolete dams and restoring rivers is helping communities across the country receive enhanced recognition, improve their quality of life, and realize social, cultural, economic, and environmental benefits.
• The Similkameen River and falls downriver of Enloe Dam are deeply important to the region’s tribes for cultural and spiritual reasons. Dam removal is supported by the Colville Tribal Business Council, the Lower Similkameen Indian Band and the Upper Similkameen Indian Band.
• The dam is a burden without benefit: Enloe Dam interrupts the natural flow of the Similkameen River and provides no benefits for ratepayers or the region’s communities. Now is the time to act as the costs of keeping the dam will continue to increase.
• Restoring the river’s flow enhances recreation opportunities including paddle sports, rafting, wildlife viewing, birdwatching, and fishing. This adds to the area’s quality of life and creates a unique regional attraction for economic benefits from tourism and recreational activities.
• Freeing the Similkameen’s flow will make vitally important cold water available to support the survival and recovery of steelhead and other important species in the Okanogan-Similkameen basin, and help charge critical wetlands. Dam removal also has the potential to open many miles of cooler water habitat upriver.

As a community, we agree that now is the time for action, and we are signed on in support of exploring all avenues to restoring the Similkameen River and removing Enloe Dam.