Planning & projects |
Deconstruction for revitalisation
The Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) gears up for the next phase of historic dam removal, marking significant progress towards revitalizing the Klamath River ecosystem and its native salmon populations
THE KLAMATH RIVER RENEWAL Corporation (KRRC) is proceeding with the removal of the Copco No. 1 Dam, the second of four to be removed as a part of the Klamath dam removal project. Following successful test blasting at the beginning of March 2024, deconstruction is underway of the dam that was constructed in 1918 for the sole purpose of hydroelectric power generation. The dam has blocked fish passage for over 100 years and is expected to be fully removed by the end of August 2024. “We are excited to get to work,” said Mark Bransom, CEO of KRRC. “The dam is fully exposed and can be safely disassembled.” Part of a cooperative effort between the States of California and Oregon, local governments, Tribal nations, dam owner PacifiCorp, irrigators, and several conservation and fishing groups, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation is a private, independent nonprofit organisation formed by signatories of the amended Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement, and tasked with overseeing the safe removal of the four dams and the river restoration process.
Dam removal
Copco No. 2 was the first dam to be removed last year. Removal of the structure was completed in September 2023, and crews then spent two months taking out the remaining diversion infrastructure, grading the river channel, and performing erosion control which helped to prepare the river canyon for consistent river flows – the likes of which it hasn’t seen for almost 100 years. Due to its small stature, location, and lack of
reservoir, Copco No 2 was chosen as the first dam to be removed. Although significantly smaller than the other dams slated for removal, it still had a significant impact on the river. Completed in 1925, it was located below Copco No. 1 in a steep river canyon and was a diversion dam that funnelled the river’s flows out of the canyon, into a tunnel system that sent water to the Copco No. 2 powerhouse, essentially dewatering the 1.7-mile-long canyon. Without the river’s presence in the canyon trees had grown in the riverbed which,
Left top: Before work began at Iron Gate Dam. Credit: KRRC
Left middle: Test Blast at Copco No 1 dam. Photograph by Shane Anderson of Swiftwater Films
Left bottom: Further view of the blast at Copco No 1. Photograph by Shane Anderson, Swiftwater Films
32 | April 2024 |
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