It was scary to read about three river rescues on our local rivers. As time goes on there will be more rescues. Here’s why.

There is a conflict between peoples’ desires for river adventure, and decisions made to increase fish populations. All official documents for salmon recovery in Washington say to add large woody debris for better fish habitat. Millions have already been spent to do this.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife won’t allow anyone to remove large wood from rivers. It can only be moved, not removed.

The salmon recovery plan for the Cedar divides the 22 miles of accessible river into 18 reaches. The plan is to add large wood to every reach. The Habitat Conservation Plan on the upper Cedar requires Seattle Public Utilities to pass any wood coming to its dam downstream.

The plan for the Green is 80 trees per mile. The Corps of Engineers and Tacoma Water Utility are cooperating on a 50 year plan to add large wood just below the dam. This wood is meant to go downstream during high water. They started in 1994, so we still have 34 years to go.

Much of the wood put in rivers uses large trees with their roots attached. These are very good at snagging things. King County owns our rivers. It’s buying more land along the shore, to re-engineer the river for fish habitat.

That’s why trees were in the water at the first rescue site on June 13. Rapid erosion is taking the bank, dropping large trees into the water. This will continue for some time. It’s because King County re-engineered the river there in 2008, leaving a place where the new channel ran directly into the old channel. Rivers do not allow 90 degree turns to last very long, if there is a way to overcome them. That’s what the county failed to recognize.

That’s sad, because fish habitat documents also say trees are needed to keep water cool.

People have been trying for 15 years to get the county to modify its plans for the sake of river safety. Some progress has been made. Projects built with wood are now using deflector logs to avoid snaggings in flowing water.

The large tree spanning the river at the first rescue site has now been moved. Yet, I still expect this conflict to continue. Naturally occurring trees still lodge in dangerous ways. People can be lost for the sake of fish. There have already been three deaths in other parts of the state due to increased wood policy.

Martha L. Parker

Renton