| Dams Initiative to aid Klamath River’s restoration
Removal of the four dams that constitute the Lower Klamath Project, with a combined height of over 125m, makes it the largest dam removal project in US history. After the 50-year federal licence that allowed PacifiCorp to operate the dams expired in 2006, the utility concluded that surrendering the operating licence and discontinuing operation was in the best interests of their customers. The dams block more than 643km of historic fish habitat and spawning grounds along the Klamath
River where salmon populations have fallen in recent years, with Coho salmon listed as threatened under federal and California law. Spring Chinook salmon have decreased by about 98% and are almost at an extinction level, while Fall Chinook have been so meagre in the past few years that the Yurok Tribe suspended fishing for the first time in the Tribe’s recorded history. The Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) is a private, independent nonprofit organisation formed in 2016 by 23 signatories of the amended Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement. KRRC is part of a cooperative effort to re-establish the natural vitality of the Klamath River so that it can support all communities in the Klamath Basin. Signatories appointed KRRC to take ownership and oversee removal of four hydroelectric dams on the river.
Solutions (RES). “Our crews spent several years collecting thousands of native seeds from plants around the reservoir sites that we propagated at commercial nurseries to become 17 billion seeds and thousands of saplings. As soon as the reservoirs are drawn down, we will immediately start the restoration process by seeding these areas.” RES will be reconnecting critical tributaries and ensuring fish can once again access over 643km of historical habitat upstream of the dams. Coffman added: “We are excited to help bring this reach of the river back to life. RES will be here as long as it takes to make this project successful.” Local tribes have led the effort to remove the dams for over 20 years and are particularly excited to see the project begin. “Dam removal is the first giant leap towards a restored Klamath River,” noted Wendy Ferris, KRRC Board member appointed by the Karuk Tribe. “We look forward to welcoming the salmon back home to areas they haven’t visited in more than a century.” In June 2023 decommissioning of Copco No. 2, the smallest of the four dams got underway. Crews
removed the gates, walkway, and two of the five bays down to the spillway to direct waters around the dam, allowing construction crews to do work through the summer months. “Crews are making fast progress in these early stages of the project, and we are on track with our removal timeline,” Bransom said. More than 3m of rock was placed on either side of the dam in order to reach the gates and bays for deconstruction. Much of the Copco No. 2 infrastructure remains in place below this rock surface and deconstruction of the dam continued throughout the summer, with final decommissioning and complete removal set to occur sometime in September. The other three dams, Iron Gate, Copco No. 1, and JC Boyle are expected to be removed next year, beginning with the drawdown of the reservoirs in January 2024. Their incremental deconstruction will continue throughout the year, with construction activities expected to conclude sometime in late 2024.
Above and below left: Removal of Copco No 2 in June 2023. The dam is the smallest of the four dams to be removed © Shane Anderson Swiftwater Films
www.waterpowermagazine.com | October 2023 | 39
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