Dams Breached, Reservoirs Drained, River Freed!

...On January 24, demolition crews blasted a hole in the base of Copco 1 dam, re-watering Ward's Canyon for the first time in a century. While all the regulatory approvals were in place for months, for many Klamath dam removal didn't seem real until that moment. Since then a lot has happened. While dam breaching went strictly according to plan, many observers were unprepared to witness a century of sediment flowing downstream. Non-native gamefish in the reservoirs were left high and dry resulting in the mortality of thousands of perch, catfish, and bass. Sediment discharge impaired water quality downstream; however, the release was timed to minimize impacts to native salmonids that for the most part already spawned in tributaries such as the Scott and Shasta. While dam removal advocates celebrated the moment, detractors made unfounded claims of irreparable harm to the river and the release of "toxic" sediment (studies showing such results have since been debunked). Today, turbidity in the river is about average for this time of year, the former reservoir bottoms are sprouting native grasses and shrubs, and crews from Tribal, state, and federal agencies report observations of healthy wild fish making their way from spawning grounds to the sea. Although hatchery operations got off to a poor start, managers successfully released several hundred thousand fish from the new Fall Creek hatchery. The restoration of the Klamath is well underway! While dam removal is a prerequisite to restoration, other steps must be taken as outlined by this piece from American Rivers. In case you missed it, the contractor leading post dam removal restoration activities (RES) released an outstanding storymap detailing the process. Enjoy!