Workers dismantled the final barriers on a crucial segment of the Klamath River on Wednesday, allowing salmon to swim freely through a significant watershed straddling the California-Oregon border for the first time in over a century. This marks a significant milestone as the largest dam removal project in U.S. history nears its end.
Crews employed excavators to remove rock dams diverting water upstream of two dams, Iron Gate and Copco No. 1, both nearly eradicated. Each scoop released more river water through the historic channel, creating a passageway for salmon just in time for the fall Chinook spawning season.
Amy Bowers Cordalis, a Yurok tribal member and attorney, stood at Iron Gate on Wednesday morning, tears streaming as she watched water flow over the former dam and back into the river. Cordalis has championed the removal of the Klamath dams since 2002, witnessing firsthand the devastating bacterial outbreak that killed tens of thousands of salmon due to low water levels and warm temperatures. She described watching the river reclaim its natural path as witnessing its rebirth.
“It was surreal. It was so emotional. I felt so hopeful and so satisfied that we have restored this river,” she expressed. “And looking at it, you could almost hear the river crying, ‘I am free, I am free.’”
The demolition of these dams comes just a month before the scheduled completion of the removal of four towering dams on the Klamath. This effort is part of a national movement to restore natural river flows and revive ecosystems for fish and other wildlife. By February of this year, more than 2,000 dams had been dismantled across the U.S., most within the last 25 years, according to the advocacy group American Rivers. Notable removals include dams on Washington’s Elwha River and Condit Dam on the White Salmon River.
Russell ‘Buster’ Attebery, chairman of the Karuk Tribe, stated, “I am excited to move into the restoration phase of the Klamath River. Restoring hundreds of miles of spawning grounds and improving water quality will help support the return of our salmon, a healthy, sustainable food source for several Tribal Nations.” Salmon hold deep cultural and spiritual significance for the tribe and others in the region.
The Klamath was once the third-largest salmon-producing river on the West Coast. However, the construction of the dams by PacifiCorp between 1918 and 1962 to generate electricity disrupted the river’s natural flow and the salmon lifecycle. The salmon population plummeted, leading to decades of advocacy from tribes and environmentalists, culminating in federal regulators approving a dam removal plan in 2022.
Since then, the smallest dam, Copco No. 2, has been removed, and the reservoirs of the other three have been drained, with their structures dismantled since March. The removal project will not significantly impact power supply, as the dams produced less than 2% of PacifiCorp’s energy, enough to power about 70,000 homes. Hydroelectric power is deemed clean and renewable, but many larger dams in the U.S. West have faced criticism from environmentalists due to their detrimental effects on fish and river ecosystems.
The project’s estimated cost is about $500 million, funded by taxpayers and PacifiCorp’s ratepayers. Oregon state Sen. Dennis Linthicum, a Republican, has opposed the removal, arguing that it eliminates crucial water storage, flood control, and fire prevention sites. “We have fisheries, hatcheries that have been in place and salmon have been going to for years, and somehow that’s ‘not good enough,’” he remarked. “The salmon have to continue up past the dam, past J.C. Boyle, to make history.”
There is uncertainty about how swiftly salmon will return to their historic habitats and river recovery. Reports indicate salmon at the river’s mouth, beginning their journey upstream. Michael Belchik, senior water policy analyst for the Yurok Tribe, expressed optimism about early successes. “I think we’re going to have some early successes,” he said. “I’m pretty confident we’ll see some fish going above the dam. If not this year, then for sure next year.”
Two additional Klamath dams remain upstream, but they are smaller and equipped with fish ladders, allowing salmon passage. Mark Bransom, chief executive of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, emphasized the uncertainty surrounding the timeline for fish return, citing a decade-long recovery for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe post-Elwha dams removal. “I don’t know if anybody knows with any certainty what it means for the return of fish,” he cautioned. “It’ll take some time. You can’t undo 100 years’ worth of damage and impacts to a river system overnight.”
