Klamath River Dam Removal Project Nears Completion

The largest dam removal project in U.S. history is nearing completion on the Klamath River, enabling salmon to navigate freely for the first time in over a century. Crews are dismantling rock dams upstream of the Iron Gate and Copco No. 1 dams to restore the river's original channel, just in time for the fall Chinook salmon spawning season. This historic restoration effort is expected to revitalize salmon populations and improve water quality, benefiting several Tribal Nations in the Klamath Basin. The project, costing approximately $500 million, aligns with a national trend of removing hydroelectric structures to restore ecosystems. Tribal leaders, including Leaf Hillman and Russell 'Buster' Attebery, have expressed optimism about the river's future, viewing the dam removal as a significant step towards cultural and ecological healing. Over 2,000 dams have been dismantled in the U.S. in the last 25 years, reflecting a broader movement to return rivers to their natural states.