Largest Dam Removal in U.S. History

A River Heals

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I was so moved and inspired by this experience I've decided to make this full post available to free subscribers too. Enjoy! And please share.

In the early 2000s, facing steep costs to bring the aging dams up to federal code, Pacificorp announced it would consider removing rather than repairing the dams. Environmentalists and Native American tribes hailed the decision while some local landowners railed against it, arguing it would infringe upon their water rights or lower property values. This time those fighting for the Earth and restoration of some indigenous peoples’ way of life won.

The drought-stricken Klamath River Basin has a long history of conflict over water. The Klamath River was believed to be one of the top-three most prolific salmon habitats on the West Coast. In the mid-1800s the Yurok, Karuk and Hoopa tribes were forced to move to a reservation in the lower Klamath Basin. Over the next century they watched as the dams went up and salmon, blocked from their spawning grounds, disappeared.

The dams created several lakes and people built waterfront homes and irrigation systems for ranching and farming. The lakes became popular recreation sites for boating and fishing.

But dams don’t put more water in a river; they just shift how it flows and soon the water usage outstripped the amount of water in the river. In 2001 the region was in severe drought and the federal government shut off irrigation water in an effort save downstream fish. Ranchers protested forming a mile-long line of people passing buckets of water to a dry irrigation canal. Others took up an effort to pry open the irrigation gates. The next year the Bush administration decided to send more water to the farmer. Shortly thereafter, the depleted, overly warm and bacteria-laden water led to a catastrophic fish kill that left tens of thousands of dead salmon floating in the lower Klamath River. This sparked a resurgence in the fight to save the river led by indigenous peoples and environmentalists.

At that same time Pacificorp was deciding whether or not to try to upgrade the dams or remove them. The upgrades would have been expensive and the four dams only generated two-percent of Pacificorp’s total capacity which was easily replaced by other power in the grid. The combination of factors shifted in favor of removal despite opposition from some local ranchers, land owners and small businesses.

On my way to the dam removal site, I stopped at a local convenience store to ask a few locals their opinion. One worker complained that their electricity costs had gone up 25% since the removal of the dams. She also noted that local businesses like river outfitters, and boat rentals were struggling. Research shows property values have gone down for places that once were waterfront and no longer will be.

This is a text book study of some of the trade-offs and transitions we will need to make to move toward a restoration economy. Some people will lose certain amenities which is an inevitable outcome of fundamentally unsustainable practices. Whenever possible those facing loss should be supported through transition but, these pendulum swings must happen if we want to have a livable planet or make right some of the horrific harm done to indigenous peoples.

As I rounded the corner on the winding gravel road and got the first glimpse of a wild river running where once a dam had stood tears welled. Here is my video of that experience. Just a few weeks earlier I would have seen the following scene of the dammed river below. It was just below this dam that the huge fish kill had taken place.

Downstream I stopped again to touch the water and send my blessings and gratitude. The water was turbid and dark as it was flushing out a century of piled up sediment. As I noted in this short video it was so clearly a river in the process of healing.

A few days ago, on Oct. 3^rd, much sooner than expected, researchers discovered that Chinook salmon had begun migrating into previously inaccessible habitat above the site of the former Iron Gate dam. This marks the first time in over a century wild salmon have swum this stretch of the river.

Although the Klamath Dams removal is the largest dam removal project in U.S. history, as of February of this year, more than 2,000 dams had been removed in the U.S., nearly all in the last 25 years. These living examples show that river systems and fisheries rebound vigorously and ecosystems recover. Here’s to undoing damage and learning to do better moving forward.

And here’s to wild rivers, wild salmon, and wild beings in general. As conservationist Steve Irwin said, “We don’t own the planet Earth, we belong to it. And we must share it with our wildlife.”

Much love,

Cylvia

P.S. Just for a little Fall viewing pleasure of a wild one, here’s a backyard Flicker sitting on my prayer flags eating berries off the vine. Just lovely.