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Klamath Dams
THE DAMS
Copco #1, Copco #2, Iron Gate and J.C. Boyle (in Oregon) are four aging hydroelectric dams on the mainstem Klamath River, which flows through parts of Southern Oregon and Northern California. Removal of the dams has been the subject of national attention for nearly two decades. Over 40 organizations, irrigation districts, and tribes support taking the dams out. Tribal leadership has been a central component of the dam removal effort. The Yurok, Karuk and Klamath Tribes have led the effort to restore part of their cultural heritage and subsistence fishing for salmon and lamprey.
Owner:
Klamath River Renewal Corporation upon federal license transfer (likely July 2022)
Location:
Klamath River; the 4th dam, JC Boyle, is located in Oregon
Completion Date:
1922 (Copco #1), 1925 (Copco #2), and 1964 (Iron Gate)
Size:
Iron Gate H 189 ft./L 540 ft., Copco #1 H 250 ft./L 415 ft., Copco #2 H 63 ft./L 278 ft.; Iron Gate 58,000 acre ft., Copco #1 60,000 acre ft., Copco #2 73 acre ft. (diversion dam)
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 River and dams are located on the ancestral lands of the Yurok, Karuk, Klamath, Shasta, and Hoopa Tribes.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 was 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. The four dams have been in a perpetual Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) relicensing process since 2000, originally started by then-owner PacificCorp. 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), for the purpose of overseeing 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. PacifiCorp will continue to operate the dams until FERC approves a license transfer to KRRC. KRRC is currently working 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. One important remaining step is the transfer of the FERC license from PacifiCorp to KRRC. This is currently pending before FERC and is expected to be completed by summer of 2022.
Potential for Removal
All the pieces are in place for these dams to be removed by 2024 pending the license transfer. Funding for the projects is set, with up to $450 million secured from PacifiCorp ratepayers and the state of California through the 2014 Proposition 1 Water Bond. An independent group of expert consultants have assessed whether existing funding is sufficient for KRRC to complete the dam removal project. The consultants determined that the KRRC’s methodology and approach to assessing costs and risk is generally sound and it is likely that there will be sufficient funding within the cost cap ($450M) to complete the project. Removing the Klamath dams will be the largest dam removal project in in the United States, restoring river health and fish abundance and providing social justice to tribal people who have relied on salmon for subsistence for thousands of years.
