Removal of Klamath River dams closer to being a reality

Klamath Falls Herald & News map, adapted by The Rural Blog

After 15 years of planning, four Klamath River dams in California and Oregon have been approved for removal by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, in the nation's largest dam removal project.

"Following formal acceptance of the license transfer by the states and the Klamath River Renewal Corp., parties led by the KRRC will begin pre-construction steps in 2023 to lay the groundwork to complete removal of the dams," reports Lee Juillerat of the Herald & News in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Native American tribes "argued that the river’s natural flows must be restored to improve the health of species, including salmon, steelhead and lamprey, as well as to address environmental impacts like toxic blue-green algae blooms," reports Jennifer Yachnin of Energy & Environment News.

Native American tribal secretary Roberta Frost told Juillerat “These dams have kept the Klamath Tribes from one of our traditional foods, c’iyaals (salmon), for over a hundred years. The Klamath Tribes once relied upon thousands of pounds of c’iyaals from upper basin rivers for not just subsistence but for good health. The return of these fish will lead directly to both improved mental and physical health among our people.”

The opposing view was voiced by the Klamath Water Users Association, which uses reservoir water to irrigate farmlands in Klamath, Siskiyou and Modoc counties in California. It said, "We are disillusioned, but not so much by the fact that the dams will be removed. . . We have kept our commitment to stay out of the way of parties that prioritize dam removal. Rather, we are disillusioned and disappointed that so many parties have turned their backs on the Klamath Basin agricultural community, and failed to honor reciprocal commitments made to producers in 2016. . . parties to the Amended Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement failed to keep commitments to negotiate in good faith to put in place a new water agreement."