The biggest news in California water this week was passing the final procedural hurdle for the restoration of the Klamath River to begin. We are so proud of our friends and colleagues who fought for decades to restore this essential watershed for West Coast salmon and how they proved that with fortitude and perseverance, restoration is possible.
We take our hats off to: Karuk Tribe • Yurok Tribe • Klamath Tribes • Hoopa Valley Tribe Trout Unlimited • Save California Salmon • Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations • Institute for Fisheries Resources • Sustainable Northwest • Salmon River Restoration Council • Save California Salmon • Native Fish Society • Environmental Protection Information Center • American Rivers • American Whitewater • California Trout • Northern California Council, Fly Fishers International • Ridges to Riffles
Largest dam removal project in U.S. history gets go-ahead in California – San Francisco Chronicle 11/17/22 The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted Thursday to allow the license of four dams on the Klamath River to lapse, giving the final major go-ahead to the largest dam removal and river restoration project in the nation’s history. The vote by federal regulators opens the door for the first of the four hydroelectric dams to come down next year in what has been a two-decade effort to liberate the once mighty river that spans southern Oregon and Northern California.
FERC clears way for nation’s largest dam removal – E&E Greenwire 11/17/22 “Some people might ask why in this time of great need for zero-emissions energy, why is the licensee agreeing to remove the dams?” FERC Chair Richard Glick acknowledged before the vote. “It doesn’t happen every day.” He pointed to proponents of removing the dams, including Native American tribes, who’ve argued that the river’s natural flows must be restored to improve the health of species, including salmon, steelhead and lamprey, as well as to address environmental impacts like toxic blue-green algae blooms. “A number of years back I don’t think the commission necessarily spent a lot of time thinking about the impact of our decisions on tribes, and I think that is a very important element,” Glick said. “In today’s order and a number of orders recently … I think we’re making progress on that front.” He concluded: “This has been a long time coming, this order.”
In ‘momentous’ act, regulators approve demolition of four Klamath River dams, - LA Times 11/17/22 The vote marks the final major hurdle for what will be the largest dam removal project in the nation’s history, officials said. The $500-million demolition has been championed by environmental organizations, commercial fishing groups and tribes that spent 20 years fighting for the river’s restoration. “The Klamath salmon are coming home,” Yurok Tribe Chairman Joseph James said in a statement. “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 time.”
Tribes celebrate as biggest dam removal project in history is about to start in California - Sacramento Bee 11/17/22 FERC’s decision represents a major victory for some of California’s largest American Indian tribes, including the Karuk, Hoopa Valley and Yurok in far Northern California. The tribes’ cultures, economies and spiritual lives are tied directly to the health of the Klamath River watershed and the fish that swim in it. They’ve been fighting for years to have the dams removed to open up more than 100 miles of river that the dams had blocked. The tribes, along with fishing and environmental groups, argue that tearing down the dams will provide an important boost for migratory fish such as salmon and steelhead whose numbers have plummeted in recent decades. “It is a real strong testament to the blood, sweat and tears that have been put into this effort by so many people,” Joe Davis, the chairman of Hoopa Valley Tribe, said. “And it just goes to show what can be done when people work together.”
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