6 Things You Need To Know About The Klamath River Dam Removals
4 dams on the Klamath River are being removed after nearly 100 years of blocking fish migration, encroaching on indigenous culture, and harming water quality
For nearly 100 years, dams on the Klamath River have blocked salmon and steelhead trout from reaching more than 400 miles of habitat, encroached on indigenous culture, and harmed water quality for people and wildlife. The time has finally come for the four dams – J.C. Boyle, Copco No. 1, Copco No. 2, and Iron Gate – built between 1908 and 1962, to come down. This river restoration project will have lasting benefits for the river, salmon, and communities throughout the Klamath Basin. Here are 6 things you need to know about the Klamath River Dam Removals.
- One of the largest dam removals in world history
Four dams along the Klamath River, which runs from Oregon into northwestern California, are scheduled to be removed in 2023 and 2024 – Copco No. 1, Copco No. 2, Iron Gate, and JC Boyle. These dams total 400 vertical feet and choke fish passage along hundreds of miles of waterways, making this a historic opportunity and one of the largest dam removal projects to date. And construction has started! American Rivers is working in partnership with Tribal Nations, NGOs, the state and federal government, and local communities to ensure the health of the Klamath Rivers and the people who depend on its vitality.
- Tribal advocacy created this opportunity
Tribal nations whose ancestral lands and histories have intersected with the Klamath watershed since time immemorial – including the Hoopa, Karuk, Yurok, Shasta, Klamath and Modoc people – have spearheaded the collective effort to remove the Klamath dams. The health of the Klamath is a key facet of these peoples’ history, culture, and subsistence, and tribal leadership and perspective has profoundly shaped the course of events on the Klamath over the past two decades. Tribally led advocacy included a high-profile protest when Berkshire Hathaway and PacifiCorp executives visited the Klamath in 2020. River advocates, led by the tribal nations, pushed the executives to join the effort to remove the Klamath dams.
Guardians of the River
In this film by American Rivers and Swiftwater Films, Indigenous leaders share why removing four dams to restore a healthy Klamath River is critical for clean water, food sovereignty and justice.
- Many years, many players, many obstacles
Dam removal is far from a linear process, and the journey to get to the key milestone of removal began decades ago. Though Tribes had been advocating for dam removal prior to a series of legal conflicts amongst rightsholders in the Klamath basin in 2001, a catastrophic fish kill in 2002 catalyzed wider action for dam removal. Following the fish kill, which resulted in the death of nearly 70,000 adult salmon, Tribes, NGOs, agencies, the States of California and Oregon, and individual rightsholders began working together collaboratively to address the health of the Klamath River and its communities and the movement towards dam removal began to gain momentum. Discussions around a far-ranging restoration plan in the Klamath basin began in 2005, with a proposed plan introduced to Congress in 2010. This initial legislation, the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA), failed to pass through Congress. After the KBRA failed, several parties to that agreement worked to find a solution to dam removal, ultimately known as the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA). The signatories to the KHSA, which include several NGOs, Tribes and the States of California and Oregon, created this plan as way to get dam removal done without having to seek Congress’ approval. Under the KHSA, the states and PacifiCorp take on the liability for and cost of the dams’ deconstruction, avoiding Congress entirely. This Agreement was signed in 2016, setting this new path in motion and creating the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, the entity tasked with removing the dams.
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- Creating ecological resilience
Removing the Klamath dams promises a wide range of ecosystem benefits that enhance regional climate resilience and aid the imperiled salmonid populations that once surged into the watershed from the ocean (now only 5% of historic averages). Significantly, dam removal expands spawning habitat for fish. Damming on the Klamath has also contributed to warmed water temperatures, leading to toxic algae blooms and decreased dissolved oxygen in the river. By removing the four dams, we can help bring salmonid populations back from the brink, while restoring habitat for other species. Restoration doesn’t end with the removal of the dams: additional restoration on Klamath River tributaries is needed to enhance fisheries, as well as the other flora and fauna that depend on healthy rivers to thrive. Land that was formerly inundated in reservoirs will be revegetated with native plant species following dam removal through natural seed dispersal, assisted by a program to plant millions of native and culturally significant starts and trees, providing ecologically vital riparian habitat.
- Strengthening communities through dam removal
As salmon in the Klamath River have declined, commercial and recreational fishing have had to periodically close, impacting tourism, fishing, and other economic drivers. Dam removal along the Klamath will create newfound recreation opportunities for local communities, while also helping provide and sustain the comprehensive impacts healthy rivers have on communities, including subsistence. PacifiCorp also determined that dam removal was the best economic decision for ratepayers in the region.
- Key Dates to Know
June 2023 – The removal of Copco No. 2, the smallest of the dams, begins.
September 2023 – Full removal of Copco No. 2 and its related infrastructure is expected to be completed.
January 2024 – Reservoir draw down begins for Iron Gate, Copco 1, and JC Boyle and will continue through the spring. Once drawdown is completed, dam removal and lakebed restoration activities will begin.
28 responses to “6 Things You Need To Know About The Klamath River Dam Removals”
I waited too long, was an excellent yellow perch fishery..
Finally, a project that will do real good for salmon and the environment. I can understand how some people will be impacted – traditions uprooted, boat docks made unusable, access to the river forever changed. But accomplishing the greater good requires some to pay a higher price than others. I’d be surprised if compensation is not being offered to those who will lose traditional uses of the reservoirs. Change is hard and its a likely guarantee that there will not be 100% happiness about this project. Maybe in a few years, those affected will see real benefits.
Great start BUT! Until us humans start using our brains, common sense & reasoning & STOP HAVING MORE HUMANS, won’t do any good… very smart minds calculated 3 billion humans to sustain on earth – we are 8 billion. We’re doomed!!!
Having flown all over Europe, Asia, Central America and the US, I can assure you the world is sparsely. Only the cities are crowded. Every generation thinks the end of the world is just around the corner “We’re doomed”. Amazingly we still here. Rest easy my brother.
I’m curious to know just exactly how much of the infrastructure that’s associated with these dams – such as buildings, electric towers, electric lines, water chutes that run through mountains & alongside the riverbed, roads, etc. – is also going to be removed.
Will the dam removals lower Klamath lake and how far.
Klamath lake will be gone
Upper Klamath Lake will not be affected by the dam removal project
Bravo. Klamath River restoration is appropriate policy implementation. Bravo.
Jay Musante
Oakland CA
Reservoirs that shrink and grow produce tons of CO
Hydroelectric dams? What’s this going to do to my power bill? Or is this something you guys just don’t care about? Like yay for the fish, but I don’t care about fish if I have to sit in the dark because you destroyed my power supply.
Jeff you sure are one dumb son of a bitch
Jeff is right. Will we have enuff pwr. What about the electric cars?
None of those dams were producing much power (1 or 3% of what the power company produced). The power company has moved on to more efficient methods, so I can’t see how your power bill is affected.
There’s been presentations done that include this information.
I read all the propaganda in this article with interest. All may be true, but I would like to hear the other side.
What other side do you need to hear dip shit ?
What’s wrong with you? He’s a dip shit for wanting to hear all the information about an issue before forming his own viewpoint on it? I call that smart. If one makes decisions and forms opinions after hearing only one side of an issue, I can tell you who the dip shit is.
I have no horse in this race, so I searched out more information. I found this article from a few years back: https://www.redding.com/story/news/2018/10/05/controversy-klamath-river-dam-removal-persists-approval-nears/1523718002/. A rare moment of real journalism here, not trying to convince me of anything, just explaining both sides of it. After reading this, I came to the INFORMED conclusion, that I agree with what they are doing. My point is this: If you want people to come to your viewpoint, you’re going to be much better off telling them both sides of the issue, and why you feel the way you do, than calling them a dip shit for wanting more information.
Flooding?
Thanks for your comment! The four dams don’t provide flood control or irrigation. They generate a small amount of hydropower, which will be replaced using renewables and efficiency measures without contributing to climate change.
The dams provided non-carbon based power for over 70,000 homes. There is NO plan to replace them with a green power Source. One more example of “Green Propaganda”
To the people in charge:
Thanks a lot for keeping us informed about how u will close Irongate this summer for no reason! Not! Never once mentioned thistles! These idiots think they’re above the law! They don’t give a shit about any body or any tribe! This whole thing $tink$!!
What about water usage for farmers? Talk about catastrophic consequences.
So very excited to watch Mother nature restore this river after the barriers are removed and allow this ecosystem to go back to what it was. Very greatful for all the hard work everyone is doing.
Your not strengthening the community up here they have not only divided the communities up over a political move but now they have put the ranches and communities at risk of looseing theyre homes because of fires and interfering with our nation’s bird and fish population up on copco the American bald eagle as we all know has a hard enuff time reproducing let alone have theyre areas messed with.with gavin newsim signing off on the destruction of theyre habitats just to name 1 how can you even say this bonds the communities.
Bill, you should have paid attention in English class.
Dennis, plz don’t do this.
It is great that American Rivers is not making exaggerated claims about the benefits of removing four of the five Klamath River dams which PacifiCorp owns. Ownership of the fifth dam, Keno, will be, or already has been, transferred to the US Bureau of Reclamation.
Dam removal is an important step but it is only the first step in what must be done if the aquatic ecosystems of the Klamath River and the salmon which depend on those ecosystems, are to be restored to health and productivity.
The next big step must be to reduce the amount of water removed from the Klamath River in order to improve flows and restore the River’s aquatic ecosystems. Irrigated agriculture currently consumes 70% or more of the water diverted from the Klamath River. Therefore, the only practical way to reduce the amount of water removed from the River and restore flows is to reduce irrigation water demand. That can and should be done by purchasing and retiring irrigation water rights from willing sellers in the Upper Klamath River Basin, as well as the Shasta and Scott Sub-Basins.
I’d like to read about American Rivers’ commitment to accomplishing this next big step needed to restore the Klamath River and Klamath Salmon.
I hope that American Rivers will now prioritize Klamath flow issues because that is the most effective way to restore the Klamath River and Klamath Salmon.
Hi
My name is Michael Campi and I am wondering if there are any paid positions working on the dam removals.