It would be the world’s largest dam removal and river restoration project and would benefit more than 483 kilometers (300 miles) of salmon habitat in the Klamath river.
RH Staff
November 18
For many years, the native American tribes and environmentalists fought for the demolition of dams built on the Klamath river, a Salmon habitat, in Oregon and California states of the United States.
The years of struggle is finally bearing fruit as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has unanimously voted to pave way for the demolition project. The 500 million-dollar project includes the demolition of four dams on the river.
The demolition of the dams would also mean that the lower half of California’s second-largest river would return to a free-flowing state for the first time in over a hundred years.
Once the demolition is initiated, it would be the world’s largest dam removal and river restoration project. The demolition project is likely to start in early summer and would benefit more than 483 kilometers (300 miles) of salmon habitat in the Klamath river.
“The Klamath salmon are coming home,” Associated Press quoted Yurok Chairman Joseph James as saying after the unanimous vote by FERC. “The people have earned this victory and with it, we carry on our sacred duty to the fish that have sustained our people since the beginning of the time”.
The Klamath was once the third largest salmon producer on the US’ west coast and its salmon supported commercial and recreational fishing and anchoring vibrant native American tribes.
Though the proposed demolition would be the largest, it is not the first dam removal in US. Over the years, 1951 dams have been demolished in the country with 57 of them last year alone.
The commissioners have termed the unanimous vote as “momentous and historic”. “Some people might ask in this time of great need for zero emissions, ‘why are we removing the dams?’ First, we have to understand this doesn’t happen every day… a lot of these projects are licensed a number of years back when there was not as much focus on environmental issues,” Associated Press has quoted FERC Chairman Richard Glick as saying. “Some of these projects have a significant impact on the environment and a significant impact on fish”.
