In one of the largest river restoration efforts in the nation, state and federal officials, along with private industry, have agreed to remove four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River, potentially returning the river’s historic fish runs and advancing their recovery.
John C. Boyle Dam with gates open, April 2011 (Image credit: Creative Commons)
The agreement, signed today by the governors of California and Oregon, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan, and the president and CEO of Pacific Power, was characterized as an initial step in the long-term goal of restoring the river basin. The agreement supports efforts to recover fisheries and sustain the region’s farmers and ranchers, benefiting both the environment and the communities which rely on the Klamath.
The dams, which needed to be retrofitted to provide passages for fish such as salmon and steelhead, will be removed beginning in 2020.
