Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recommends plan to remove Klamath River dams
KLAMATH, Calif. — On Friday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released its final environmental impact statement reviewing the Klamath River Renewal Project, which includes the removal of some of the Klamath River dams. In the EIS, the FERC recommended approving the surrender of the dam license, as well as decommissioning and removing the dams with staff modifications and mandatory conditions.
There are seven dams that make up PacifiCorp's Klamath Hydroelectric Project, four of which will be removed in an effort to restore the Klamath River, which the EIS shows has declined in health since the dams were installed between 1903 and 1962.
Among other organizations, the Yurok Tribe has been working to get the dams removed for decades, particularly over the past 20 years since roughly 70,000 adult salmon were killed in 2002 due to the unhealthy river conditions.
One Yurok Tribe member, Amy Bowers Cordalis, has been a big part of the tribe's efforts to push for the dam removal, as well as those of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, which she is on the board of. She also currently serves as the Yurok Tribe's legal counsel.
"For me, that was a real awakening that our river was sick and our fish were in trouble, and so, I went to law school and essentially started studying everything I could to learn about river restoration, Indian rights, environmental law, the constitution and on and on and on, and I've devoted my career to essentially removing these dams," Cordalis said.
According to the 800-page EIS, the FERC found that the project would protect environmental resources and the species that rely on them, as well as restore the landscape of the areas that are currently impounded within the project to reach a more natural state.
"Essentially what they've concluded is: out of all of the alternatives studied, dam removal is the most likely option to prevent extinction of the Klamath River salmon," Cordalis said.
Many communities off of the Klamath River from San Francisco up to Washington rely on the salmon as an important part of their economies.
"The Klamath River was historically the third largest salmon-producing river in the Lower 48, and we are down to under 5% of the historical size of the salmon runs. And that has rippling effects throughout our entire economy on the West Coast," Cordalis said.
The actual removal of the dams is expected to start in 2023 and end in 2024. Before then, commissioners must approve the recommendation not to renew the dams' licenses.
The EIS comes just days after U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Diane Feinstein announced the Department of the Interior will provide nearly $26 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Klamath Basin restoration projects.
The Yurok Tribe recently received some grants of its own to further its restoration efforts, as well.
