The Largest Dam Removal in U.S. History Has Begun

The first step in a dam removal project began as crews opened a 16-foot-wide tunnel in the base of the Iron Gate Dam in Hornbrook, California. This marks the beginning of a decades-long effort to restore the Kamath River which winds for more than 250 miles through Oregon and California.

Amy Cordalis, a member of the Yurok tribe said, “This is historic and life-changing, and it means that the Yurok people have a future.” She told NPR, “It means the river has a future, the salmon have a future.”

Members of the Yurok, Shasta, Klamath, Karuk and Hoopa peoples have long worked to convince federal regulators that the four dams on the river – Iron Gate, Copco 1, Copco 2, and JC Boyle – have done more harm than good. Built over a century ago as part of a hydropower development in the American West, they blocked salmon and steelhead trout from reaching their habits, destroying fish populations and robbing the tribal nations of their important food source. The dams also outlived their usefulness. The amount of power they currently produce is negligible compared to the needs of the region.

The smallest dam, Copco 2, came down last fall. Over the next few months the other three dams will all have their reservoirs drained, returning the river water to levels not seen since the early 20th century.

The tribes are planning for what comes next. Funded, in part, by millions of dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, 2,200 acres of land will be revegetated, planting 17 billion seeds and at least a thousand trees flown in by helicopter. Over time, the river will slowly return to its vibrant, free-flowing ecosystem.

Those who were on site when the tunnel was opened described seeing “chocolate-milk-brown water,” containing both water and sediment flow through the dam. Sediment is a problem not just for the dams in the Klamath river, but for the way the dams prevent silt from traveling downriver. This negatively affects downstream ecosystems, which evolved with a steady supply of fertile new soil.

Frankie Myers, vice chair of the Yurok Tribe, said, “Being able to look at the river flow for the first time in more than 100 years, it’s incredibly important to us. It’s what we’ve been fighting for: to see the river for itself.”