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.
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 2019.
All the pieces are in place for these dams to be removed by 2021 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 state cost cap ($450M) to complete the project.
Removing the Klamath dams will be the largest dam removal project in the world, restoring access to native fish species’ historical cold-water habitat.
Klamath River Renewal Corporation upon federal license tranfer
Klamath River - the 4th dam JC Boyle is located in Oregon
1992
List of StakeholdersDepartment of the Interior
National Marine Fisheries Service
PacifiCorp
State of California
State of Oregon
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Oregon Water Resources Department
Klamath River Renewal Corporation
Yurok Tribe
Karuk Tribe
Klamath Tribe
Humboldt County
over 20 different irrigation districts and water users
American Rivers
California Trout
Trout Unlimited
Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman’s Association
Northern California Federation of Fly Fishers
Salmon River Restoration Council
Sustainable Northwest
Matilija Dam is located in the Ventura River watershed on Matilija Creek, north of Ojai. The concrete arch dam, built in 1947, was originally designed for water storage and flood control. Scissors painted on the dam by graffiti artists in 2011 have become an iconic symbol for dam removal.
Donate NowPeter Moyle is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and Associate Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, at UC Davis. He is author or co-author of more than 240 publications, including the definitive Inland Fishes of California (2002). He is co-author of the 2017 book, Floodplains: Processes and Management for Ecosystem Services. His research interests include conservation of aquatic species, habitats, and ecosystems, including salmon; ecology of fishes of the San Francisco Estuary; ecology of California stream fishes; impact of introduced aquatic organisms; and use of floodplains by fish.
Robert Lusardi is the California Trout/UC Davis Wild and Coldwater Fish Researcher focused on establishing the basis for long-term science specific to California Trout’s wild and coldwater fish initiatives. His work bridges the widening gap between academic science and applied conservation policy, ensuring that rapidly developing science informs conservation projects throughout California. Dr. Lusardi resides at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and works closely with Dr. Peter Moyle on numerous projects to help inform California Trout conservation policy. His recent research interests include Coho salmon on the Shasta River, the ecology of volcanic spring-fed rivers, inland trout conservation and management, and policy implications of trap and haul programs for anadromous fishes in California.
Patrick Samuel is the Conservation Program Coordinator for California Trout, a position he has held for almost two years, where he coordinates special research projects for California Trout, including the State of the Salmonids report. Prior to joining CalTrout, he worked with the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, a non-profit that supports the eight federal regional fishery management councils around the country. Patrick got his start in fisheries as an undergraduate intern with NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources Division in Sacramento, and in his first field job as a crew member of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Wild and Heritage Trout Program.