Tribes Welcome Completion Of Klamath Dam Removal Project

KLAMATH COUNTY, Ore. — After fighting for decades to free hundreds of miles of the Klamath River, the finalization of the removal of the Klamath dams has been welcomed by many of the tribes.

The Klamath Dam Removals- the biggest dam removal project in U.S. history was completed on Wednesday- the 4 Klamath River hydroelectric dams have been completely removed.

Klamath Dam Removal Project Complete

Built by power company PacifiCorp to generate electricity between 1918 and 1962, the Klamath River dams stopped the natural flow of the waterway- once the third-largest salmon-producing river on the West Coast. It disrupted the lifecycle of the region’s salmon despite only producing a fraction of PacifiCorp’s energy at the time.

The Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) confirmed that the dams didn’t provide irrigation, drinking water, or flood control and that removing them was the right thing to do.

The KKRC indicated that water quality was impaired and fish passage was blocked by the Copco No. 1, Copco No. 2, J.C. Boyle, and Iron Gate Dams for over a century.

First approved in November 2022, the Klamath Dam removal project sought to restore water quality and allow salmon to swim freely in the river. It has been a source of controversy in the region ever since it was approved as residents had concerns about water quality as well as wildlife, property rights, and overall peace of mind.

Several claimed the removal affected their properties, for which they weren’t fairly compensated by the KRRC.

The KRRC indicated that all the temporary bridges, diversion infrastructure, and dam materials are completely removed and the project is now finalized.

Michael Belchik, senior water policy analyst for the Yurok Tribe confirmed that since breaching the dams, anadromous fish have regained access to their natural habitat and water temperature has decreased while quality increased.

Tribes Who Fought For Klamath Dam Removal To Protect The Environment Celebrate

Local tribes had spotlighted the environment through protests, testimony, and lawsuits. KKRC CEO,  Mark Bransom, confirmed that were it not for “the damage that these dams were doing, not only to the environment, but to the social and cultural fabric of these tribal nations, there would be no dam removal.”

Many tribal members are now celebrating the finalization of the project they have fought for over decades:

• Karuk tribal member,  Molli Myers flew to Scotland in 2004 with a group of about 25 tribal members to attend the annual general stockholders meeting for PacifiCorp’s parent company at the time. After two decades of protesting and flooding state and federal meetings with tribal testimony, Myers said her children were still tiny or unborn when she started. Because they saw what could be done, “now there’s no impossible for them.”
• Yurok Tribe elder Jacqueline Winter has a personal interest in the removal. Her son Troy Fletcher, was the tribe’s point person for dam removal for two decades He testified in front of the U.S. Congress and presented to both state and federal regulatory committees but died unexpectedly from a heart attack at the age of 53, ten years before the vision of a free-flowing river was realized. Winter said it felt like his spirit was there when the dams were breached last month and she felt she could finally let him go. Winters said, “His vision became reality and I think he never doubted it.”
• Klamath Tribes‘ former Chairman Jeff Mitchell has worked for the dam removal since the 1970s. He believes the salmon are their relatives, gifted by the creator and given to the tribe to preserve and protect. Mitchell said, “The creator also instructed us to make sure that we do everything in our power to protect those fish.”

The work of tribal advocates and activists is far from finished. Some have already refocused their efforts on revegetation and other restoration work. The KKRC also confirmed that work will continue for several years to restore the 2,200 acres of formerly submerged lands.

An initial round of native seeding took place in January. Restoration crews plan to perform another round of seeding and planting this fall if soil conditions are amended.