After a 15 year campaign by Tribes, fishermen, environmentalist, and local residents to restore the Klamath River salmon, the Klamath dams are set to come down. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is processing a dam removal license, Oregon has issued a dam removal permit and California is taking comments on their dam removal 401 permit. 

Meeting times and locations to comment in person are: Feb. 5th Yreka, Ca Best Western Miners Inn 5pm, Feb. 6th 5pm D street Community Center, Arcata, CA, Feb. 7th 12 pm Karuk Tribe Council Chambers Orleans, CA, Feb. 15th 1pm CalEPA Building Sierra Meeting Room Sacramento, CA.

The lower four Klamath River dams block hundreds of miles of historic salmon spawning grounds while creating conditions that cause fish disease and parasites in the river. The dams’ reservoirs host massive blooms of toxic algae each year, posing health risks to people and pets using the river. The dams are a leading cause of salmon declines in the Klamath Basin. The Water Board’s draft EIR supports what dam removal advocates have said all along—dam removal helps alleviate these conditions.

The North Coast and Klamath River communities are economically depressed, and much of the area is classified as a food desert. The loss of salmon has widespread health, economic and cultural impacts. In many years there are extremely few, or no, salmon for Tribal people. This has created a situation where the Klamath's native communities have suicide rates that are 12 times the national average and diabetes and heart disease rates that are over three times the national average. Bringing back the salmon will help right this wrong while providing local jobs.

California's draft EIR looks at potential impacts associated with the removal of the lower four Klamath River Dams as compared to a no project alternative, partial dam removal, construction of fish ladders, removal of only three dams, and removal of only two dams. In the end, the Water Board staff finds that, “In looking at the range of benefits and impacts the State Water Board has identified the Proposed Project as the environmentally superior alternative.”

This is why Warren Buffet's Pacific Power has transferred four of the Klamath River dams to a dam removal entity which is applying for permits and a license to decommission the dams. This current process is different to the former (and controversial) settlement process and Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA), which included a water settlement. This new dam removal process restarted both federal and California public processes, as the FERC license application one was for relicensing, not removal.

PLEASE SUPPORT CALIFORNIA'S DAM REMOVAL PERMIT by signing this petition and coming out to a dam removal hearing. 

Key Talking Points:

• Dam removal improves water quality. This includes getting rid of the blue green algae blooms and fish disease problems below the dams.

• Sediment impacts will be temporary while the long-term benefits are stronger runs of salmon and better water quality.

• Dam removal will not affect irrigated agriculture: none of the dams we are removing provide agricultural diversions.

• Dam removal will not affect summer river flow – that’s controlled further upstream by BOR Irrigation Project.

• Power rates will be lower with dam removal. Keeping the dams and doing necessary repairs and building fish ladders costs more than the electricity is worth.

Again the meeting times and locations:

Feb. 5th Yreka, Ca Best Western Miners Inn 5pm

Feb. 6th 5pm D street Community Center, Arcata, CA

Feb. 7th 12 pm Karuk Tribe Council Chambers Orleans, CA

Feb. 15th 1pm CalEPA Building Sierra Meeting Room Sacramento, CA.

Feb. 5th Yreka, Ca Best Western Miners Inn 5pm

All comments are due by noon on February 26, 2019. Send comments via email to: wr401program@waterboards.ca.gov.