As work begins on the largest US dam removal project, tribes look to a future of growth | AP News
By: AP News
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The largest dam removal project in United States history is underway along the California-Oregon border — a process that won't conclude until the end of next year with the help of heavy machinery and explosives.
But in some ways, removing the dams is the easy part. The hard part will come over the next decade as workers, partnering with Native American tribes, plant and monitor nearly 17 billion seeds as they try to restore the Klamath River and the surrounding land to what it looked like before the dams started to go up more than a century ago.
The demolition is part of a national movement to return the natural flow of the nation's rivers and restore habitat for fish and the ecosystems that sustain other wildlife. More than 2,000 dams have been removed in the U.S. as of February, with the bulk of those having come down within the last 25 years, according to the advocacy group American Rivers.
The removal of four hydroelectric dams along the Klamath River is the movement's greatest triumph and its greatest challenge. When demolition is completed by the end of next year, more than 400 miles (644 kilometers) of river will have opened for threatened species of fish and other wildlife. By comparison, the 65 dams removed in the U.S. last year combined to reconnect 430 miles (692 kilometers) of river.
The project will empty three reservoirs over about 3.5 square miles (9 square kilometers) near the California-Oregon border, exposing soil to sunlight in some places for the first time in more than a century.
For the past five years, Native American tribes have gathered seeds by hand and sent them to nurseries with plans to sow the seeds along the banks of the newly wild river. Helicopters will bring in hundreds of thousands of trees and shrubs to plant along the banks, including wads of tree roots to create habitat for fish.
This growth usually takes decades to happen naturally. But officials are pressing nature's fast-forward button because they hope to repel an invasion of foreign plants, such as starthistle, which dominate the landscape at the expense of native plants.
"Why not just let nature take its course? Well, nature didn't take its course when dams got put in. We can't pretend this gigantic change in the landscape has not happened and we can't just ignore the fact that invasive species are a big problem in the west and in California," said Dave Meurer, director of community affairs for Resource Environmental Solutions, the company leading the restoration project. "Our goal is to give nature a head start."
A power company, known today as PacifiCorp, built the dams starting in 1918 to generate electricity. The dams halted the natural flow of the river and disrupted the lifecycle of salmon, a fish that spends most of its life in the Pacific Ocean but returns to the chilly mountain streams to lay eggs. The fish are culturally and spiritually significant to a number of Native American tribes, who historically survived by fishing the massive runs of salmon that would come back to the rivers each year.
A combination of low water levels and warm temperatures in 2002 led to a bacterial outbreak that killed more than 34,000 fish, mostly Chinook salmon. The loss jumpstarted decades of advocacy from Native American tribes and environmental groups, culminating last year when federal regulators approved a plan to remove the dams.
"The river is our church, the salmon is our cross. That's how it relates to the people. So it's very sacred to us," said Kenneth Brink, vice chairman of the Karuk Tribe. "The river is not just a place we go to swim. It's life. It creates everything for our people."
The project will cost $500 million, paid for by taxpayers and PacifiCorps ratepayers. Crews have mostly removed the smallest of the four dams, known as Copco No. 2. The other three dams are expected to come down next year after the reservoirs behind them are drained. That will leave some homeowners in the area without the picturesque lake they have lived on for years.
The Siskiyou County Water Users Association, which formed about a decade ago to stop the dam removal project, filed a federal lawsuit. But so far they have been unable to stop the demolition.
"I think it's a huge mistake," association President Richard Marshall said. "Unfortunately it's a mistake you can't turn back from."
The water level in the lakes will drop between 3 feet and 5 feet (1 meter to 1.5 meters) per day over the first few months of next year. Crews will follow that water line, taking advantage of the moisture in the soil to plant seeds from more than 98 native plant species including wooly sunflower, Idaho fescue and Blue bunch wheat grass.
Tribes have been invested in the process from the start. Resource Environmental Solutions hired tribal members to gather seeds from native plants by hand. The Yurok Tribe even hired a restoration botanist.
Each species has a role to play. Some, like lupine, grow quickly and prepare the soil for other plants. Others, like oak trees, take years to fully mature and provide shade for other plants.
"It's a wonderful marriage of tribal traditional ecological knowledge and western science," said Mark Bransom, CEO of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, the nonprofit entity created to oversee the project.
The previous largest dam removal project was on Washington state's Elwha River, which flows out of Olympic National Park into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Congress in 1992 approved the demolition of the two dams on the river constructed in the early 1900s. After two decades of planning, workers finished removing them in 2014, opening about 70 miles (113 kilometers) of habitat for salmon and steelhead.
Biologists say it will take at least a generation for the river to recover, but within months of the dams being removed, salmon were already recolonizing sections of the river they had not accessed in more than a century. The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, which has been closely involved in restoration work, is opening a limited subsistence fishery this fall for coho salmon, its first since the dams came down.
Brink, the Karuk Tribe vice chair, hopes similar success will happen on the Klamath River. Multiple times per year, Brink and other tribal members participate in ceremonial salmon fishing using handheld nets. In many years, there have been no fish to catch, he said.
"When the river gets to flow freely again, the people can also begin to worship freely again," he said.
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Associated Press writer Eugene Johnson in Seattle contributed.
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One of the great rivers of the US will once again be returned to its natural state.
The Klamath, Shasta, Kurok, Hoopa, and Yurok tribes have been fighting to have them removed for over 100 years.
I have spent a lot of time in the area both fishing, camping, and joining the tribes in their battle to remove them since the 1960s. I purchased some land in Siskiyou County near what is now COPCO lake which will no long exist when COPCO 2 comes down it will become the natural Kalamth River once again. The dam known as COPCO 1 finished the removal project just a few weeks ago...
Once again over 400 miles of wild river that starts in Southern Oregon and ends at the Pacific Ocean will have the salmon and steelhead return.
After close to 60 years of fighting for the removal of the dams it is with a great deal of satisfaction to see the dams come down and the restoration of the Klamath to its wild natural state.
I would love to go there to do some fishing
I have tons of photos of the area dating back to the early late 60s and early 70s, Trout. It will take time for the salmon and steelhead to return but it also creates one of the very best rivers for white water rafting it's rated a 5 on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most difficult.
The wildlife around the area is amazing from black bears to elk, cougar, deer and all creatures big and small.
I don't have enough experience to raft it
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A 5 is not for the inexperienced, Trout. There is an old stagecoach trail that runs from just north of the Oregon California border all the way to COPCO Lake and it follows the river. There are some old foundations of stops that date back to the late 1800s.
Many years ago I took Red on that trail in a 4x jeep and as we were moving along at about 5 MPG there was a huge oak and one of it limbs went across the road about 15 ft or so up. I look at the limb and pointed out the very large pussy cat (mountain lion/cougar) that was laying on the branch watching us. Being a city girl Red damn near had a heart attack.
I know! The roughest river I float is the Caddo in SW ARkansas. I think it might be a 2. I would never be arrogant enough to think I could handle a 5
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Get in training and if you are ever in Cali I'll take you on the wild river.
LOL! Training??? AT my age???
I'd rather fish in a nice pool somewhere on the river where I can get to it easily
I have to tell you, Trout there isn't any easy access to the river it's wild country. Of course, if you don't want to travel with the tribe I'd take you down by Yreka to some of the really slow-moving parts of the Klamath.
Sounds like fun
I think you mean where you can get out of it easily, after you fall in...
You act like I'm clumsy or something....
something...
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keep her wild...
I'd take her with friends of mine that are Yurok so the river will always stay wild and it's natural state.
I haven't done any river rafting in decades. all my rafting was in colorado, the arkansas, the poudre, and the colorado rivers. mostly class 3's and 4's with some class 5 rapids. back then in the if you were still alive when it was over it was a good trip. you could just bring or rent a raft and go. unfortunately too many tourists turned into floaters and now it's pretty regulated and commercialized. I always wanted to do a multiple day trip thru the grand canyon, but the waiting list is years long and you have to be qualified or something now.
went over sunshine falls on the arkansas and the raft folded up like a taco and ejected the owner of the company I worked for. I managed to yank him back into the raft and we went thru the rapids laying on our backs on the floor of the raft. he told me to put in for a raise.
... of course he forgot all about that raise when we got back home.
What! you didn't remind him.
I spent the last year I worked for him wishing I'd held him under the raft thru the rapids...
Sounds like he was a charmer.
I was a difficult employee. I had ethics...
That does not work with some employers.
that's their problem, not mine.
Here's an article about it.
(2) Work to remove 4 dams along Klamath River begins, restoring salmon run - YouTube
Good video, Greg.
Next up, return all of South Dakota to Native control ... it will be a good thing!
Indeed it will, Hallux.
Great news, this took 20+ of work and sacrifice. Congratulations to the tribes for their perseverance.
It will be exciting to see the salmon return after the dam removal.
It sure will be, EG. I have photos of my son fishing the river in the early 70s and numerous photos of the COPCO lake and the river.
what kind of fish?
Rainbow Trout, largemouth bass, Sacramento Perch (which are delicious to eat and whitefish.
Below the last damn, we'd fish for Salmon and steelhead.
All sounds like fun.
It really was, Trout. I'd take my kids way back into the wilderness when they were young. I knew some of the ranchers on the Upper Klamath and I had access to all of their property so we had some grand adventures.
I have never fished for salmon in Oregon, but I have fished for salmon in the Snohomish River in Northern Washington and also in salt water of the Straits of Juan de Fuca off of Whidbey Island, WA up by the Washington/Vancouver BC area. My oldest grandson lives in Reedsport, OR within walking distance of the Umpqua River and he has fished for Coho salmon there and said it a was fantastic experience.
Over the years I've fished the Upper Klamath in Ore and Ca. and the lower Klamath River around the town of Klamath, Happy Camp and French Camp. Also, the Smith River which is is not damed for Salmon and the Umpqua.
Reedsport, been there many a time, Doc it is right next to the Oregon Dunes, did some rail riding there.
Never did any salmon fishing in Washington or in the Straits. Sounds great though.
It was great fishing in the Straits. We used a wedged shaped spring loaded device called a pink lady. My grandson that lives Reedsport says he will never come back to Arizona except to visit. I don't blame him at all. I hope to go visit him later in the year
Oh yeah, I've used pink ladies before takes the bait deep.
Reedsport is a hell of a lot different than AZ. I enjoy both. Some of the best smallmouth fishing in the US is in eastern Ore on the John Day river we fished it two days in a row and you could not keep the smallies off you hook.
Wonderful news. Nothing makes me happier than restoring our national beauty and restoring to the tribes what is rightfully theirs.
Yes, indeed.
Mother is happy....
She sure is, Veronica.
Many years ago, when I was working in Northern California for a few days, I drove up Interstate 5 to the Klamath River and then drove west along the river for quite a few miles. It was very beautiful. I remember stopping at one spot and, being a bit hungry, picking wild blackberries for a snack.
Good memories, G. If you went west off I 5 at Yreka you were in the lower Klamath, going east from I 5 takes to the wildest parts of the river, the Upper Klamath.
It was a fun day. If I ever get up that way again, I would like to go along the river to the east.
It would be well worth the trip, G.
This is a photo of COPCO 2 dam taken last month after it was moved. The restoration of the river/banks and surrounding area will begin soon.
The Klamath Basin which starts in Southern Oregon and reaches into California is 12,000 square miles and is dominated by the Klamath River, it is one of the great bird flyways and Tule Lake is a marvel in itself.
The removal of the dams is critical to the survival of the nature wonder.
This is good news Kavika! I am very glad to hear that not only are the dams being properly removed but steps will be taken to accelerate the restoration of the eco-system to the way it was before. Too often we have seen when such structures that were built for a specific purpose have exceeded their lifespan, or can no longer efficiently perform the function for which they were built, they are left to decay and rot and further damage and disrupt the natural habitat that preceded them. Good to see that all parties involved agreed to do this the right way and hopefully the areas can return to their natural state in good time.
One concern I had upon reading this initially was what might replace the 163MW of electrical generation that these dams provided, in addition to the many other dams decommissioned/removed since 2012? This at a time when the state governments in California and Oregon are pushing for larger electric vehicle fleets and facing a skyrocketing demand for electricity. Apparently though, upon further reading, it appears that those dams were performing at about only half that capacity owing to recent drought conditions and they only accounted for 2% of PacifiCorp's power generation. Sounds like they plan to make that up in various forms of renewable generation, which is great! Hydro currently accounts for 10-15% of California's energy supply and dropping fast and we are down to our last nuclear power plant at Diablo Canyon which the Governor is trying to shut down sooner rather than later.
At some point though, if we are serious about the policies driving us toward ever higher demands for electricity, we will hit a point where renewables like PV and wind will not be able to replace hydro and fossil fuels fast enough. Trying to remedy that with battery backup of those intermittent type sources brings with it a whole new level of environmental concerns and dependence on foreign supply chains that leave our energy sector dangerously reliant on foreign sources. The only path forward that can support the ambitious carbon reduction goals in my mind are modern nuclear technologies and the promises of fusion energy. The former is needed now, the latter will come in the future as technology is finally advancing in that area. But I digress!
The overall project of removing the dams and the must faster restoration and the little electricity it produced will be covered by renewable sources is a win win for everyone and most importantly the salmon and the river itself.
The increase in all things elec can be a problem but I just was reading an article about Toyota and their new batteries which have a range of over 700 miles half the size and half the weight of the current EV batteries.
Nuclear energy will be a hard sell in the US. People are just not accepting it and the cost and building time for the huge nuclear energy plants has become a non starter. The thing that might be very good is the experiment of ''small'' nuclear facilities. I believe that there are a few in operation now.
Indeed! That is what I had in mind. From Dept of Energy .
As an electrical engineer, my understanding is that the smaller more distributed SMR's could solve the problem of best utilizing existing transmission systems as well with less need for expensive rebuilding of the transmission/distribution infrastructure. Several have been built or are in final stages of construction in Argentina, India, Russia and China. But the US us way behind in terms of building new nuclear plants (only 1 under construction) and share of nuclear power as a percentage of the overall domestic generation . We need to step that up if we are serious about the carbon reduction policies that are being enacted at a rapid pace without the science necessary to back the goals.
There is good news though, the Georgia Power Vogtle Unit 3 advanced technology reactor recently became commercially operable delivering 1,100MW of clean energy . Unit 4 is on its way, undergoing fuel testing and hopes to be operational on 2024. Still looking forward to SMR deployment in the US though. California would be a great place to start given its current grid configuration and general dependence on out of state generation sources.
Thanks for the links, Freewill.
Having lived in Cali for many years, both north and south what did you mean by this, ''California would be a great place to start given its current grid configuration and general dependence on out of state generation sources.''?
California imports about 30% of its power from sources in the Pacific Northwest and also in the Southwest. This has increased recently due to the drop in hydro generation in the state and also imported from the Pacific Northwest. The large imports leave California exposed to cascading outages caused by transmission intertie issues like we had in 2003 and again in 2011.
Being a long and narrow state the transmission systems are primarily oriented north and south and are operated by various State and Federal entities all carefully controlled by the ISO to prevent overloads along any part of the system. Smaller distributed generation, especially from such significant sources as nuclear, would work better in such a system so as not to overload it by having to deliver large quantities of power over long distances on the already highly loaded transmission lines. Strategically located smaller reactors could better utilize existing transmission and distribution systems without the costly expense of building additional large transmission lines.
That is not to say that the aging infrastructure does not need to be improved and updated anyway, especially with the current push toward all electric vehicles.
I moved from Cali in 2005 although I do come back yearly usually around Huntington Beach and Siskiyou county since much of my history is there.
Thanks for the info especially on the north-south and distribution of power. I do agree the smaller reactors could certainly be a much-needed improvement in the Cali power grid and like most other states the aging infrastructure needs updating.
grand coulee dam is being updated now.
their electrical generation is antiquated and sub par.
I was living in Henderson NV, a suburb of Las Vegas when the decision was made to move nuclear waste from across the country to Yucca Mountain Depository around 85 miles from Las Vegas. The following uproar stopped the project and as far as I know, Yucca Mountain is sitting empty. I had some concerns as my expertise is in transportation, both domestic and international and this would be a huge ongoing transportation movement of highly dangerous nuclear waste coming from all over the country to Yucca Mountain. Bottom line it never came to fruition.
Over the years I've read articles on the Georgia nuclear power plants and how costly way over budget and years behind schedule. I haven't read any lately about them. Last time that I can remember they were $15 billion over budget and 5 or 6 years past their completion date. I believe that the minute voters see the cost and how long it took to build them it will be at best close to impossible sell. Also, many people still remember Three Mile Island and I clearly remember a much larger spill of nuclear waste and that was in Church Rock NM (1979 a few months after Three Mile Island) because it was on an Indian (Navajo) Reservation it did not get the media coverage of Three Mile Island but to this day it still isn't been cleaned up and caused enormous problems for the Navajo people. It is a ''Superfund Site.'' BFD, 44 years after the spill.
Anyhow, I am not in favor of these monster nuclear plants like GA but am very interested in the ''small'' nuclear plants which in my opinion are quicker to build and operate, cheaper, and if there is an accident will not have devastating effects like the monsters plant would have.
the taxpayers in colorado got stuck paying for a flawed nuke plant that will never go online...
Yep - I assume you are talking about Fort St. Vrain Nuclear Power Station. Something similar happened in California too with the Rancho Seco plant in SMUD territory. It's not really taxpayers on the hook, but rather SMUD ratepayers who had to foot that bill. The plant was up and down for 14 years but was never brought up to full capacity and it was actually the State voters (other taxpayers) who shut it down.
Those were old style plants built in the 60's and 70's and they both ran for a short while, albeit inefficiently. Modern Nuclear reactor/plant designs are much more advanced and far more reliable.
it happened so long ago, I can't remember the story now.
all I know is that the PUC okayed a big rate hike for the power company to build it, they couldn't get it to work, then they sold out to a bigger electrical company and now we're stuck with a billion dollar pond heater that will cost more to demolish and safely dispose of sometime in the future.
Good article.
Rewilding is a fascinating topic. There are quite a few projects in Europe, too, including some in difficult situations, such as the banks of the Danube.
This rewilding project is going to be massive and considering that the Klamath basin is 12,000 sq miles the ecological effects are going to be massive in the earth's best interest. The tribes have been gathering native seeds by hand for a few years now to be sure that the invasive plants do not return and the various government entities and farmers/ranchers and most importantly the Tribes, Yurok, Kurok, Klamath, Hoopa, and Shasta have been at the center of the involvement from the beginning. I believe what is probably most difficult for many to understand is the tribe's connection to the river, it is a living being to them and the salmon are a link to the living thing. In all the years that I've been going to the area and doing what I could with the tribes, I saw some farmers/ranchers go from being totally opposed to the removal of the dams to becoming part of the solution. There are still some that do not want the removal and I've heard some pretty racist comments about Indians because those that don't want the removal blame Indians for it. But that aside since the overall project is a massive win for not only the tribes but all the peoples in the area and more importantly the living river and the Klamath basin.
I dug out old photos that I have dating back to the late 1960s of the area and people, for me this is the climax of close to 60 years of fighting for the river and the people.
You must be (deservedly) feeling pretty good. Congrats
Thanks, Bob I do have deep links to the area and people. My son and daughter were with me most of the time and both have links to the tribes as they would play with the tribe's kids and exchange customs from the Cal/Ore tribes to our tribe the Anishinaabe.
It is kind of difficult to explain the sense of satisfaction that I feel over this.