California’s Klamath River: Why Are the Dams Being Removed?

The Klamath River Basin in California and Oregon has been obstructed by different dams for over 100 years. The first dam was constructed in 1908, and the last was erected in 1962. In 2002, a catastrophic fish kill resulted in over 70 thousand salmon deaths, and this kicked off the fight to restore the Klamath River Watershed to its original glory. 4 of 6 dams are slated to be removed over the next few years.

The Klamath River begins in southern Oregon and flows through Northern California on its way to the Pacific Ocean. It is over 250 miles long, and it’s a lifeline to a huge labyrinth of rivers, lakes, and streams in the highest parts of the watershed.

This dam removal project is the largest ever conducted in the world, and it’s serving as a spearhead for similar efforts across the nation. What are all the reasons behind the restoration of California’s Klamath River? Why are the dams being removed?

1. The Klamath Dams Block Fish Migrations

The dams blocking the Klamath River inhibit steelhead trout, bull trout, coho salmon, and Chinook salmon from accessing more than 400 miles of their natural habitat. Historically, large populations of coastal cutthroat trout, eulachon smelt, Lost River sucker, shortnose sucker, and Pacific lamprey also used the river as an important habitat.

None of the Klamath River dams had a system to allow fish to bypass the dams and continue up the river systems. As a result, all species have been severely impacted by the dams in the Klamath River Basin.

In the past, the Klamath River was the third biggest salmon run along America’s Pacific coast. The salmon runs blocked by the 4 Klamath dams have dwindled their population to a grisly 5 percent of their historic numbers.

2. Indigenous Communities Rely on the Klamath River Watershed

Multiple indigenous tribes rely on the rivers and streams that make up the Klamath River Watershed for their livelihoods. These groups include the Modoc, Yahooskin, Hoopa, Karuk, Shasta, Klamath, and Yurok people.

In the middle of the nineteenth century, American settlers moved into the region and used violence to displace indigenous groups. Building the Klamath dams was a means of destroying native communities in favor of white American settlements. Along with logging and farming, hydroelectric development along waterways destroyed the ecosystems that indigenous nations relied on.

Food sovereignty is an important facet for these tribes demanding the restoration of their historical lands. The idea of food sovereignty grants native communities the right to sustainable food systems that respect historical precedent. In other words, the original owners of the land should be allowed to independently create their food resources in an ecologically friendly manner that honors their traditions.

Beyond the physicality of the fish, the aquatic animals in the Klamath Basin river systems serve significant spiritual and cultural roles in local indigenous nations. For example, in some traditions, the salmon that run the river are seen as relatives. That’s because they are the descendants of the same fish that the ancestors of the indigenous people used in their lives.

3. Unnaturally Warm Waters and Algal Blooms Were Caused by the Dams

Toxic algal blooms caused by stagnant and warmer than natural waters behind the Klamath Dams affect hundreds of miles of river. When the blooms break out, they are capable of traveling through the turbines of the hydroelectric dams. These blooms caused by the dams can affect the health of wildlife and people living along the waterways.

This harmful algae also bioaccumulates in certain animals like freshwater mussels making them toxic. Sometimes, animals that filter water can experience contamination levels over 100 times more than is naturally expected.

The type of toxic algae that the Klamath Dams sometimes fosters is also not destroyed by boiling. This means that contaminated water supplies are not salvageable for consumption through readily available means.

The good news is this algae isn’t endemic which means it isn’t guaranteed to happen like clockwork. It’s still possible that choking algal blooms will happen once the dams come down. Despite this, their frequency is guaranteed to decrease.

4. Riparian Habitats Were Destroyed by the Klamath Dams

As the dams are removed, riparian habitats will be revitalized through a massive effort to disperse seeds and plant starts in newly exposed soil along the waterways. Scientists have been hard at work analyzing and collecting native vegetation. Billions of new plants are ready for sowing into the land that will be exposed when the dams are gone.

The reintroduction of the plants that make up a proper riparian zone will protect shore soils. It will also provide new areas for natural wildlife to flourish. For example, birds will have new nesting places in areas where they historically existed.

5. The Klamath Dams Do Not Provide Flood Control

The Klamath Dams do not provide flood control and are instead designed almost solely for hydroelectric purposes. They do not store excess water runoff for release at a future moment of need.

Two of the dams do allow water to build up for a day so it can be released midday during the highest energy usage, but none of the dams can dramatically alter the natural flow of water downstream. Even the small reservoirs impacted by the removal are not designed to provide flood control. At the most, they can only affect water flow through the Klamath River by up to 7 percent.

The reintroduction of proper wetlands in the upper parts of the watershed in the absence of the 4 dams will provide better flood control than is currently in place. That’s because wetlands act like sponges that trap the water in vegetation and soil instead of immediately launching it down a water channel when rains occur. 

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