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The problem is a series of hydropower
dams owned by energy company
PacifiCorp. The dams were constructed
without fish ladders, and they block
salmon from accessing upwards of 300
miles of spawning habitat. The dams
produce little power and provide no
flood protection. The only thing they
do is harm the Klamath river and its
salmon. Additionally, the dams have
devastating impacts on water quality
in the Klamath River. Recent analysis
of water samples from Copco and Iron
Gate Reservoirs reveal extremely high
levels of the toxic blue-green algae
Microcystis aeruginosa, which produces
a compound known to cause liver
failure and promote tumor growth.
Samples taken from areas frequented by
recreational users of the reservoirs
contained cell counts as much as 3,900
times greater than what the World
Health Organization (WHO) considers to
be a “moderate health risk.”
PacifiCorp is currently seeking a
license from the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC—the agency
responsible for licensing hydropower
dams) to operate the dams for another
30-50 years.
The time for restoration is now.
Removal of the Klamath River dams
represents a key step in the
restoration process as the dams
currently block access to more than
350 miles of historic spawning
grounds. If restored, the Klamath
fishery would be valued at over $4.5
billion, providing a much needed
economic boost to local economies.
Iron Gate Dam, and the three other
outdated dams, are blocking the salmon
from returning home. This dam marks
the beginning of the hundreds of miles
of historic spawning and rearing
habitat that is now unreachable to
migrating fish. These dams have
outlived their usefulness. They are
not used for irrigation or flood
control and according to the
California Energy Commission, the
power produced by the dams would not
be missed if the dams were
decommissioned.
Despite years of meetings with Tribes,
fishermen, conservationists, and
agencies and what some experts
consider an ironclad case for the
removal of PacifiCorp’s Klamath dams,
PacifiCorp’s licensing application
fails to address the critical issue of
fish passage and doesn’t consider dam
removal. Worse yet, FERC recently
issued a draft environmental impact
statement that recommends only modest
changes to current dam operations,
perpetuating the harm to Klamath
salmon and the communities that depend
on them.
FERC’s staff recommendation ignores
the mandates of agencies for fish
screens and ladders, and calls for dam
removal from Tribes, conservation
groups, and even NOAA Fisheries. The
proposal to allow PacifiCorp to drive
fish around the dams not only
perpetuates the damage caused by
PacifiCorp’s dams, but it is illegal
too.
FERC is woefully out of step with the
rest of the Klamath stakeholders.
Filings from the states of California
and Oregon, four Klamath basin tribes,
10 environmental groups, and a host of
federal agencies all support removing
the Klamath dams. Even FERC’s own
economic analysis shows that removing
the Klamath dams will cost less than
constructing the fish ladders and
screens PacifiCorp will be required to
install under a new license.
Relicensing provides a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to
bring the salmon home. The State of
California can demand protection of
the Klamath’s “beneficial uses”
including water quality, recreation,
and fish habitat in the new license.
Therefore, Governor Schwarzenegger has
the power to require a feasible
strategy to return salmon to the upper
Klamath Basin.
You can help by exercising your public
voice and asking Governor
Schwarzenegger to stand up for the
future of the Klamath River and demand
that the salmon be brought home!
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