Klamath River Dam Removal approval 11/17/2022

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in Washington D.C. approved the order for license surrender to operate the Klamath Hydropower Project.  The license will be surrendered by Pacific Power to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) and the states of Oregon & California.  ​
​Extract from Emails from Mark Rockwell, President of Northern California Council, Fly Fishers International:
  • Today is a historic day for river restoration in California.  The Klamath will soon be fully navigable from source to sea for salmon, steelhead and other aquatic species.  
  • This allows the beginning of  removal & restoration of the Klamath project. This is an historic event and begins the largest dam removal and river restoration project in U.S. history.  Pre-construction begins in spring 2023, Copco dam #2 scheduled to be removed in late summer 2023, and the remaining 3 dams out by October 2024.
  • Construction and removal will be done by Kiewit Corporation:  https://www.kiewit.com/business-with-us/opportunities/klamath-river-renewal-project/
  • The affected river watershed will be completely restored & monitored by KRRC via a contract with RES - The Nation's largest environmental restoration company.  https://res.us/home/restoring-at-scale/klamath-river-restoration/
  • This marks the end of the beginning - We are past all the challenges we faced for 20 years to get agreement on removing 4 dams on the Klamath.  Now begins the process to restore the river.  It is a moment of joy for all of us who have worked so hard for this moment.  Here's to working together with many to achieve greatness!
  • Thanks goes to all the partners - NGOs, Tribes, local cities & counties, fishing organizations, state and federal agencies, and private citizens who cared and worked for years.  This is historic!
Mark Rockwell, President
Northern Calif. Council, Fly Fishers International