The four dams are located on federal land and owned by PacificCorp a part of Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway holding company. The company decided to reliquish the dams rather than comply with federal regulations requiring fish ladders and screens. The dams were becoming increasly uneconomic, producing only 2% of PacificCorp's total power production when running at full capacity, an infrequent status under current river conditions. A company spokesperson said the decision to reliquish its federal operating licenses was ultimately a business decision. The company is contributing $200 million to the project from a surcharge on its customers in California and Oregon. The voters in California approved a $250 million bond levy to fund the largest dam removal project in the nation's history. Across the US, 1,951 dams have been demolished as of February, the trend has increased as the facilities age and come up for relicensing. [Iron Gate dam, credit: AP]
The Kalamath River watershed covers 14,500 square miles, and the river was once the third largest salmon producing river on the West Coast. But the four dams, built between 1918 and 1962 essentially cut the river in half, preventing spawning salmon from reaching their spawning grounds. Consequently the runs have dwindled for decades. Coho are listed as endangered under federal and state law. Their population has fallen drastically. Spring Chinook, once the largest run of all, are reduced in number by 98%. Fall chinook have all but disappeared from the Klamath. Yurok fishers canceled their annual fish harvestin 2021 for the first time in living memory. The smallest of the four dams, Copco 2, could be removed as early as next summer.