From grain growers to barge operators to port workers, the lower Snake River dams support many livelihoods across the Palouse.

• There are eight public port districts in the Snake River region: Columbia, Central Ferry, Garfield, Almota, Whitman County, Wilma, Lewiston and Clarkston. These ports drive economic growth and create thousands of jobs in our region.
• In 2017, agricultural exports (primarily wheat) shipped from the Snake River to ocean ports accounted for 1,346 direct jobs.
• Indirectly, these exports supported 2,635 jobs.

Our 465-mile “river highway” gives Whitman County wheat farmers access to international markets.

• More than 85% of Washington's wheat is shipped for export; nearly all of it is shipped on the Columbia and Snake rivers.
• Whitman County wheat growers can compete internationally because of their high product quality and low price point, made possible by the cost efficiency of barging.
• The total commerce from the Snake River is second only to the Mississippi.

Barging provides the safest, most efficient, cleanest and lowest cost mode of transportation for trade.

• Barges have fewer accidental spills or collisions than any other mode of transportation.
• Between 50 and 60 million tons of cargo is transported through the deep draft and inland parts of the river system each year. No other transportation route offers comparably efficient cargo transport options into the interior of the United States.
• Barging is nearly 40% more fuel-efficient than freight trains and 270% more fuel-efficient than semi-trucks.

This renewable energy source keeps our electricity rates low and our businesses buzzing.

• The Columbia-Snake River System provides 90% of renewable power in the Pacific Northwest.
• Hydropower helps meet our carbon-free energy goals by producing thousands of Megawatts and storing energy for wind and solar.
• The four lower Snake River dams alone provide enough clean energy to power 1.87 million homes.

Because of the lower Snake River dams, the Palouse enjoys unrivaled recreational opportunity.

• Opportunities for boating, fishing and swimming on the Snake are key drivers of tourism and recreation in our region.
• Beautiful on-water facilities, such as Boyer Park and Marina, were made possible by reservoirs filling behind the dams and creating lakes.