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Klamath Dams
THE DAMS
Removal of four aging hydroelectric dams on the mainstem Klamath River, which flows through parts of Southern Oregon and Northern California has been the subject of national attention for nearly two decades. Over 40 organizations, irrigation districts, and tribes support taking the dams out, and Tribal leadership has been a central component of the dam removal effort. The Yurok, Karuk and Klamath River Tribes have led the effort to restore part of their cultural heritage and subsistence fishing for salmon and lamprey. Removal of the four Klamath River dams will be the largest dam removal project in the history of the United States and the largest salmon restoration project ever.
Owner:
Klamath River Renewal Corporation
Location:
Klamath River in California and Oregon
Completion Date:
1922 (Copco #1), 1925 (Copco #2), and 1964 (Iron Gate)
Size:
Iron Gate H 173 ft./L 740 ft., Copco #1 H 126 ft./L 415 ft., Copco #2 H 33 ft./L 278 ft.
Stakeholders:
Yurok Tribe, Karuk Tribe, Klamath Tribes, Trout Unlimited, American Rivers, Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman’s Association, Northern California Federation of Fly Fishers, Salmon River Restoration Council, Sustainable Northwest, state and federal agencies, and more.
Land Acknowledgment
The Klamath dams are on the ancestral lands of the Yurok, Karuk, and Klamath tribes. The Yurok reservation is located at the mouth of the Klamath River and is today one of the largest tribal reservations in California. The Karuk tribe lives in its ancestral homelands along the middle section of the Klamath River. The Klamath tribes are located in southern Oregon in the Klamath basin, above the dams.The Problem
The Klamath dams block salmon and steelhead from reaching more than 300 miles of spawning and rearing habitat in the upper basin. Historically, the Upper Klamath-Trinity Rivers spring-run Chinook salmon were the most abundant run on the river. Today less than 3% remain, in large part because they cannot access historical habitat in the Upper Klamath Basin. Declining fish populations have caused immense suffering for the Tribes whose lands the Klamath flows through. While there is broad support for the removal of these defunct dams, there is some local opposition to the project, including from landowners around the current reservoirs and some local ranchers and farmers.
Current Situation
A non-profit organization, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC), was formed in 2016 to take ownership of four PacifiCorp-owned dams (Copco #1, Copco #2, Iron Gate and JC Boyle), and to oversee the dam removal process. That work will include restoring formerly inundated lands and implementing required mitigation measures in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations. In 2022, FERC approved a license transfer to KRRC, transferring responsibility from the previous project owner, PacifiCorp. KRRC worked to secure permits, develop deconstruction plans, secure bids for the work of removing dams and restoring the lands under the reservoirs, and contract with a design-build firm to run the majority of the deconstruction project. In March 2023, KRRC officially broke ground on removal activities for the Klamath River dams. Crews began constructing access roads to allow access for heavy equipment required for further construction activities. Existing bridges will need to be reinforced, and new bridges will need to be constructed to enable construction equipment access. This is the beginning of a series of enabling construction projects that will take up the remainder of 2023 as crews prepare for drawdown of the reservoirs in January 2024 and the subsequent removal of the dams during the summer and fall of 2024. Resource Environmental Solutions (RES) is leading restoration activities to help jumpstart the recovery of the landscape. Since 2019, RES has been on the ground with Tribal partners preparing for restoration. To date, they have collected 17 billion native seeds sourced from the Klamath Basin or from plants grown in the Klamath Basin. As they continue to collect seed, they are preparing tributaries and habitat upstream of the dams for the impending influx of fish. Between June and September 2023, the first and smallest dam, Copco #2, will come out. In January 2024, drawdown of the reservoirs will initiate. By the end of 2024, all four dams will be removed, and restoration work will begin and continue well beyond 2024.
Potential for Removal
Removal processes have begun, and all four dams are slated to be removed by the end of 2024. As dam removal proceeds, CalTrout will continue our active involvement in the project. In addition to holding a board seat on the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, our teams also conduct baseline data studies in the basin with UC Davis and implement restoration projects on the Scott and Shasta rivers, the two largest tributaries to the Klamath River. Following dam removal, CalTrout Regional Director Damon Goodman will lead a study to answer the fundamental question “how many fish repopulate the Klamath after dam removal?” by using sonar fish tracking technology. Removing the Klamath dams will be the largest dam removal project in in the United States, restoring river health and fish abundance by opening around 400 miles of habitat for fish that has been inaccessible for over 100 years. Dam removal will also provide social justice to tribal people who have relied on salmon for subsistence and who have lived along the river since time immemorial.
