Farming Community Preparing For Riverfest 2019

Coming up in September, the entire Inland Northwest will have an opportunity to learn first hand how the Columbia and Snake river dams benefit the region.  Riverfest 2019 will take place September 7^th in Kennewick.  Colin Hastings with the Pasco Chamber says last year over 3,000 people came out to learn the benefits the river system offers.  He noted those dams are interconnected with every aspect of Central and Eastern Washington’s economy, and the benefit is not just limited to the farming sector.

“This is an economic driver having this hydro-power system that we have, and it touches us all, directly and indirectly because if you want to power up your phone, or when we’re getting warm weather, run your AC, we are blessed with how much clean, renewable, carbon free, energy we have at our disposal just in our backyard.”

Hastings said those who come out will learn about the conservation efforts connected with the dams.  He said energy rate payers have invested billions of dollars in salmon restoration efforts, “You look back at the tracking and the fish counts, we’ve been successful too.  Dams and salmons/steel head/wildlife can coexist and we’ve demonstrated that.  So, it’s a win-win on both aspects of it.”

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