U.S. regulators approved a plan to demolish four dams on California's Klamath River and open up hundreds of miles of salmon habitat
The Iron Gate Dam, powerhouse and spillway is seen on the lower Klamath River near Hornbrook, Calif, on March 3, 2020. The largest dam demolition and river restoration plan in the world is closer to reality Nov. 17, 2022, as U.S. regulators approved a plan to remove four aging hydroelectric structures, reopening hundreds of miles of river habitat to imperiled salmon.
“The Klamath salmon are coming home,” Yurok Chairman Joseph James said after the vote. “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.” Approval of the order to surrender the dams’ operating license is the bedrock of the most ambitious salmon restoration plan in history and the project’s scope — measured by the number of dams and the amount of river habitat that would reopen to salmon — makes it the largest of its kind in the world, said Amy Souers Kober, spokesperson for American Rivers, which monitors dam removals and advocates for river restoration.
Commissioners on Thursday called the decision “momentous” and “historic” and spoke of the importance of taking the action during National Native American Heritage Month because of its importance to restoring salmon and reviving the river that is at the heart of the culture of several tribes in the region.
“I understand that some of those tribes are watching this meeting today on the bar and I raise a toast to you,” Commissioner Willie Phillips said.
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