Envisioning a Restored Klamath River

Updated January 2007

Depiction of the Klamath River before and after the removal of Copco #1 Dam

Debates over restoration of river ecosystems can become contentious and polarizing: residents in an area faced with river management decisions may have a deep-rooted concern about large-scale landscape change, and fear of the unknown. 

People are often unsure what the impacts of restoration might look like, and what the consequences could be for their communities. Helping citizens and elected officials visualize the future is critical to the success of such significant projects.

Using powerful GIS software, we have generated a 3-dimensional photo-realistic digital model of the Klamath River valley that depicts the landscape before and after the removal of two dams: Copco #1 and Iron Gate. Aerial photography and satellite imagery is draped over terrain models and enhanced with photographic features of local significance such as natural landmarks, buildings, and riparian terrain.  Further detail is provided by survey records, historical photographs, reservoir bathymetry, and engineering drawings.

The model allows users to view not only dam deconstruction, but also the restoration of vegetation and the related stabilization of reservoir sediments that will lead to ecosystem and salmon recovery. 

Explore for yourself

The following visualizations depict the removal of two dams, Iron Gate and Copco 1 dams, the draining of their reservoirs along the Klamath River, and changes to the landscape following the removal. Collectively, they illustrate how the Klamath River valley might evolve after removal.  Please note disclaimer and viewing tips below

1) View short slideshow of still images

2) Watch time-lapse animations over 10 years, from dam removal to full restoration (.wmv files - use Windows Media Player or newer versions of Real Player)

• Removal of Copco #1 Dam (WMV File)
• Revegetation of Copco Reservoir (WMV File)
• Removal of Iron Gate Dam (WMV File)

3) Watch "fly-thrus" - animated movie clips (.avi files) 

• Current conditions (4.9 MB) and future conditions (5.0 MB) of Copco 1 Dam
• Current conditions (4.3 MB) and future conditions (4.5 MB) of Iron Gate Dam

About these visualizations

While these images, time-lapse animations, and visualization movies are based on a wide variety of the best available data, the final product is still a result of some professional interpretation. River ecologists have a good idea about how the river will respond following dam removal, but there is still some educated guesswork required when making any “future” visualization images. Finally, we attempted to create as complete a model as possible, but various constraints prevented us from depicting those certain features in the landscape. For example, we only depict Iron Gate and Copco 1 dams because they are the largest dams and their removal would have the most significant landscape effects.  In addition, due to the relatively lower resolution satellite data available along the Klamath River (as opposed to the San Francisco Bay Area for example) we were unable to depict the homes and other buildings around the reservoirs. 

• Funding for this project was provided by the The Cox Family Foundation.
• To learn more about the software we used, visit CommunityViz

Problems?

Some combinations of computer, operating system, and media viewers (i.e. Quicktime, Real Player, or Windows Media Player) occasionally lead to display problems. If your viewer is asking for additional "decoding" software, halt the download, and try installing this free codec file - Ligos Indeo Codec 5.11 - in the folder on your hard drive where your viewer software is located (usually on the C:Drive).

These sample movies have been dramatically shortened and compressed for quicker downloading.  If you would like to see the full length, hi-resolution movies, please contact Steve Rothert for more information