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Introduction

The Klamath River Dam removal has been the center of attention in Northern California

and Southern Oregon for many years now. The Klamath River is a significant watershed starting

in Southern Oregon and ending in Northern California, with several tributaries, including the

Trinity River, Salmon River, and Scott River. The river basin is 12,000 square miles, and the

Klamath River is 263 miles long, with approximately 114,000 people living in the area, with

several industries impacted by the dam removal (NOAA, 2022).

The Klamath River used to be the third-largest salmon run on the West Coast, supporting

several species of salmon and trout that fed Native Americans. These fish supported not only,

Native American tribes along the Klamath River but also the fishing industry (NOAA, 2022).

Today the Klamath River Basin is mainly used by farmers, using nearly 23,000 acres of

the Klamath River Basin for farmland, approximately 80% of the Upper Klamath Basin. Some of

these crops being farmed are alfalfa, hay, and potatoes, which are water-heavy crops requiring

large amounts of water to grow (Rothert, 2023).

To provide water for farmers, several dams were built. However, today the four dams on

the Klamath River are about to be removed. Although not the only dams on the Klamath River,

these four will be removed, and restoration of the dam sites will begin (Sustainable Northwest,

2022). The process of approving to remove these dams was both complex and controversial. The

purpose of this paper is to explain the different groups and organizations involved with the

project and illustrates the different policies that affect the situation. This paper aims to illustrate

the importance of creating new policies to address old problems and prevent future problems.

Scientific Background
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Dams have several different ecological problems that are associated with them. First, they

can lower the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water, affecting which animals can live in the

water and harm the ecosystem that relies on these animals (Abbott et al., 2022). Second, dams

decrease the health of rivers and worsen their recovery from disasters (Ahn & Kim, 2017). Third,

dams affect erosion and how the river changes (Itsukusima et al., 2019). The Klamath River

Dams have these three effects on the Klamath River, causing harm to the river as a whole.

Dissolved oxygen levels are critical for fish, especially salmon, but dams cause these

levels to decrease, hurting the fish populations. Massachusetts is the sight for a study on this

issue. In the study, the dissolved oxygen levels were looked at by measuring the levels upstream

and on the dam's reservoir. These results showed a decrease in dissolved levels of oxygen in the

reservoirs. Dams cause these low levels of dissolved oxygen by warming up the water in the

reservoir, while warmer water has less capacity to hold oxygen (Abbott et al., 2022). Lower

dissolved oxygen levels can directly be related to the death of fish like salmon (Carter, 2005).

Dams cause low dissolved oxygen levels, leading to fish death and harming their populations,

and this can be seen in the Klamath River.

The Klamath River is also experiencing overall worsening health from its dams. Research

shows the health of watersheds downstream of dams is worse than upstream, harming the

watershed's ability to recover from disasters. Dams negatively affect the hydrology, water

quality, habitat, and biological condition. These aspects are what determine a watershed’s health.

Dams are causing added stress to watersheds and decreasing their overall health. This stress

makes the rivers recover from landslides and erosion less efficiently (Ahn & Kim, 2017).

Another negative of dams is that they block sediment from flowing downstream.

Sediment in rivers helps ecosystems thrive and help shape not only river banks but also the
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coastlines. Sediment helps form river banks and counters erosion on the river. Without this

sediment, river banks can erode much faster than usual. ​The same issue can happen on the

coastlines. Coastal erosion caused by sea level rise is made worse without sediment rejuvenating

the beaches (Itsukusima et al., 2019). The dams on the Klamath River affect not only the river's

ecosystems but the ecosystems in the ocean.

Dams cause several different ecological problems. These problems can be hard to

mitigate without removing the dams. Dams cause lower dissolved oxygen levels and harm the

fish populations, which causes a cascade effect that changes the ecosystem. Dams also affect the

river morphology and change how the river recovers from disasters. Sediment is critical for

rivers and beaches. Without the sediment, rivers, and beaches cannot recover from erosion. All

these factors lead to a less healthy Klamath River.

Stakeholders

Opinions on the Klamath Dam Removal are numerous, and their reasons vary. When

stakeholders agree on whether these dams should be removed, they have different motives. Some

of these organizations and groups are Farmers, CALTROUT, Sustainable Northwest, and the

Yurok Tribe. These stakeholders have unique reasons why they do or do not want the Klamath

Dams' removal to happen. Understanding their role can help further explain why these dams are

being removed.

California's farming depends on water; with droughts becoming common, water is

increasing in value. Farms use about 40% of water in California (UC Davis, 2015). In drought

years, the limited water supply has to be rationed, and dams supply an increased amount of water

and help mitigate the effects of droughts. Farmers fear there will not be enough water without the

dams on the Klamath River. Removing these dams could worsen this issue. The Klamath River
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farmers are worried that they will no longer be able to have the water to support their businesses

and make the money needed to provide for their families. They lobby to keep the dams in place

so they can farm without worrying about a lack of water.

CALTROUT is a nonprofit organization protecting waterways for Trout, Salmon, and

other fish. These different fish populations are negatively affected by dams, especially without

fish ladders. These dams have harmed the fishing industry, causing CALTROUT to want these

dams removed. Fishermen have lost money and their livelihoods because of the lack of fish. The

removal of these dams will help the fish populations grow, which could have a positive monetary

impact on the fishing industry (Glenwright, 2023). CALTROUT sees the removal of the Klamath

River Dams as critical to helping the fish populations recover and bringing money back into the

fishing industry.

Sustainable Northwest is an environmental organization with a mission to “...bring

entrepreneurial solutions to natural resources challenges to keep lands healthy and provide

economic and community benefits” (Sustainable Northwest, 2023). Sustainable Northwest is

dedicated to restoring habitats. The Klamath River Dams negatively affect the environment,

which causes groups like Sustainable Northwest to lobby to remove them (Sustainable

Northwest, 2023). Sustainability Northwest pays attention to the ecology of different situations.

They see the Klamath River Dams as a moral wrong that needs to change. Sustainability

Northwest wants to restore the ecological balance on the Klamath River.

The Yurok Tribe has a rich history of living on the Klamath River and sees the river as

sacred. The tribe wants to protect the Klamath River going as far as to grant the rights of

personhood to the Klamath River. They want the river to be able to flow freely, which dams

prevent from happening. The Yurok Tribe’s mission is “stewardship of Yurok lands, waters, and
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other natural endowments” (Yurok Tribe, 1970). This quote shows that they want to protect their

land and water. The Yurok Tribe feels that the river it is has been mistreated. They want to see

the Klamath River be healthy and avoid the negative consciences that dams have on rivers.

In Table 1, the stakeholders are compared to the different groups. The “Stakeholder

Group” column is a broad group of which the stakeholder is a part. The “Example (Role)”

column is the stakeholder. The “For or Against” column illustrates the stakeholders' stand on the

issue. The final column is the “Description / Notes” for more information on their importance.

This table is meant to compare the major influences on the Klamath Dam.

Stakeholder Group Example For or Against the Description/ Notes

(role) Removal of Dams

Regulated Electric PacificCrop Neutral Manages the license

Utility to the Klamath Dams

Native American Yurok Tribe For the Removal Restore for cultural
Tribe reasons

Environmental Sustainable For the Removal Wants to restore the

Organization Northwest Klamath River

Non-Profit CALTROUT For the Removal Wants to protect fish

populations

Farmers In the Klamath River Against Removal Needs water to grow

Basin crops
Table 1 (Different Stakeholders and information about them)

Stakeholders’ roles are essential to any issue. Their roles need to be expressed clearly to

understand situations better. Whether for or against the dam's removal, each group had its own

goals and reasons behind these goals. All stakeholders' opinions should be considered to create
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the best possible outcome for the Klamath Dam. Understanding how they formed their opinions

can provide a better solution.

Policy

Policy around the Klamath River is complex. The Klamath River crosses the

Oregon-California border, which makes this river federally controlled; the laws and policies that

dictate how the dams operate are from the federal government. Federal laws are often more

complex to pass than state laws making federal laws outdated. Due to the outdated laws, the

Klamath Dams need to be updated. The federal government approved the removal of these

outdated dams, and as of 2023 are in the process of being removed (Congressional Research

Service 113th 2015). California has laws that keep dams from getting outdated and lessen the

ecological harm dams cause (Dams and Obstructions Act of 1957).

In the early 2000s, a discussion about these four dams and how they affect the Klamath

River started. PacifiCorp started hosting meetings about these dams with the possibility of

relicensing four dams on the Klamath River (Knight, 2022). From 2001 to 2002, over 70,000

salmon died from drought, putting pressure on the salmon population(Sustainable Northwest,

2022). In 2006 due to the dying salmon population, a ruling to meet fish passage requirements

started the talk about taking down these dams. The Klamath Hydro Settlement Agreement

(KHSA) is a movement with stakeholders to remove these four outdated dams (Knight, 2022).

With the start of this movement to remove these dams, more pressure was placed on lawmakers

by the KHSA.

These environmental issues began to affect the fishing industry. The only solution to save

the salmon population was that fishing had to stop in 2006 (Sustainable Northwest, 2022). The

fishing ban devastated the industry. The added pressure from the fishing industry to remove these
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dams led the California Energy Commission to decide to remove these dams. However, the dam

removal project had an opposing side that would slow the project down.

In 2016 the federal government stopped the process of the dam removal project. Due to

the KHSA failing to be passed by Congress, removing the dams on the Klamath River would

have to wait. The failure of the original agreement led the KHSA to amend the agreement and to

be sent to Congress again (Sustainable Northwest, 2022). With this amended agreement,

progress happened on the dam removal, and Congress was much more likely to approve the

removal of the dam.

In 2020 a huge milestone was reached. The dam removal project agreed to have the

Klamath River dams removed. This agreement allows the dams to have a set plan for removal.

The first dam removal will take place in 2023. The three other dams will be removed this year

(Sustainable Northwest, 2022). To help protect the Klamath River's rights and ensure the dam

removal, the Yurok Tribe declared personhood on the river (Smith, 2019). Yurok Tribe’s

declaration allows cases to be trialed in court on the river's behalf.

The path of how the Klamath Dams were removed was complex. The ecological harm

these dams caused made the issue worse. If there were laws in place to help prevent the dams

from affecting the fish populations so negatively in the first place, then the loss in revenue in the

fish industry would have been less.

The Klamath River Dams were an ecological disaster; it might have been better if

California laws were in place. California has a state law in place to help mitigate the effects of

dams on the fish populations making all dams have fish ladders or some other way for fish to

travel past the dam (Dams and Obstructions Act of 1957). Although the state law does not stop

all the impacts on the environment from dams, it is a start. Although the dams were in California,
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this state law did not take effect on the Klamath River as the river was under federal control,

meaning the dams fell under federal law, not state law.

The issue with the Klamath River Dams was that Federal Laws needed to be updated to

help with environmental problems. Adding a law like California’s can be the start to seeing

improvements. Having this California State law become federal would not just impact rivers

under federal control, like the Klamath River, but would become the gold standard in the United

States, and all dams would be subjected to this new law. A law like this would take funding;

however, the benefit of adding these fish ladders would be worth it.

The Klamath River Dam removal has many different sides, making the policies behind it

even more in-depth. Although the policy change that removed the dams on the Klamath River

was critical and will help the river recover, the fact that it was such an ecological disaster should

not have occurred. Adding the new California law for dams needing fish ladders to the federal

level could help prevent these issues.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The Klamath River Dams, as of 2023, are actively being removed. Looking at the

different segments that lead to this point can give significant insight. The stakeholders we looked

at were critical in seeing the results that we did, without organizations pushing for the dam's

removal, they would not have been. The policy around the Klamath River Dams was

complicated because the Klamath River is under federal control and has fewer laws governing

the dams, which can be carried through to most federal-controlled projects. However, what needs

to happen next is to see the changes after their removal, meaning studying how the Klamath

River’s recovery from the ecological harm is essential and can shed more light on the restoration

progress. It also is critical to look at the different stakeholders and evaluate if they are satisfied or
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dissatisfied with the change, referring to unforeseen consequences that often occur. Different

stakeholders might even appear after these dams are removed, which should be noted in further

case studies. Even though the Klamath River Dams are approved for removal, much is still

unknown about the situation. Further research should be conducted to learn the most that we can

from the Klamath River Dam Removal so that future projects can learn from this one.

Works Cited

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Investigating impacts of small dams and dam removal on dissolved oxygen in streams.

PLOS ONE, 17(11). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0277647

Ahn, S. R., &; Kim, S. J. (2017). Assessment of Integrated Watershed Health based on the

natural environment, hydrology, water quality, and aquatic ecology. Hydrology and Earth

System Sciences, 21(11), 5583–5602. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-5583-2017

California's water: Water for farms - UC Davis. Water For Farms. (2015). Retrieved April 4,

2023, from https://aic.ucdavis.edu/publications/PPIC.pdf

Carter, K. (2005). The effects of dissolved oxygen on steelhead trout, coho salmon, and chinook

salmon biology and function by life stage. California Regional Water Quality Control

Board, North Coast Region, p. 10.

Congressional Research Service (2015, July 7) Hydropower: Federal and Nonfederal Investment

2015: S. 1236, 114th Cong. Proquest Congressional.

Dams and Obstructions, Division 6 § 5931 (1957)

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=FGC&secti

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Fisheries, N. O. A. A. (2022, April 25). Klamath River Basin. NOAA. Retrieved May 4, 2023,

from https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/habitat-conservation/klamath-river-basin
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Itsukushima, R., Ohtsuki, K., Sato, T., Kano, Y., Takata, H., &Yoshikawa, H. (2019). Effects of

sediment released from a check dam on sediment deposits, fish, and macroinvertebrate

communities in a small stream. Water, 11(4), 716. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11040716

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