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.
Klamath River Renewal Corporation
Klamath River in California and Oregon
1922 (Copco #1), 1925 (Copco #2), and 1964 (Iron Gate)
Iron Gate H 173 ft./L 740 ft., Copco #1 H 126 ft./L 415 ft., Copco #2 H 33 ft./L 278 ft.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Help remove the Klamath Dams: Subscribe to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation newsletter on their website klamathrenewal.org. Follow KRRC on Facebook for the latest updates facebook.com/klamathrenewal. Support our Reconnect Habitat Initiative.
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Peter 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.