corvalis firms next assignment planning klamath dam removal keno 041110

River Design Group, a veteran of several dam removal projects on the Rogue River, will play a key role in what could become the largest dam-breaching project in U.S. history: the removal of up to five dams on the Klamath River system.

“It’s a humongous undertaking,” said Scott Wright, who heads the environmental consulting firm’s Corvallis office. “We’re going to be right in the thick of that whole issue down there.”

The company learned last week that it has won a contract to prepare alternative scenarios for removing some or all of the dams, which are owned by PacifiCorp. River Design Group will be part of a large team of contractors involved in planning for the project.

While providing irrigation water for agriculture and hydroelectric power for utility customers, the dams are also blamed for depleting the Klamath’s once-thriving salmon fishery.

After years of contentious negotiations involving farmers, fishermen, environmentalists and tribal interests, an agreement was signed this year that clears the way for removal of the dams starting in 2020.

River Design Group will analyze the potential impacts of removing the J.C. Boyle, Copco 1, Copco 2, Iron Gate and Keno dams on the Klamath River, which flows through Southern Oregon and Northern California.

The company did much of the planning for the Savage Rapids and Gold Hill dam removal projects on the Rogue and is involved in preparations to take out the Gold Ray Dam.

Comments:

endangeredfarmer said on: April 10, 2010, 12:47 am

One small insignificent side note; I hope the good folks in the city of Klamath Falls take note of the fact that they are doing the studies on removing Keno Dam. Gee, I thought the Keno Dam was off limits, I guess not. Say austa la veesta to Lake Ewauna!!!

endangeredfarmer said on: April 10, 2010, 12:37 am

Wow!! I am so releived that a company with the credentials of having been a major player in the Savage Rapids dam removal planning makes me sleep easier at night. We all know what a disaster Savage Rapids turned out to be. Just think if that had been the Klamath Dams removal with 22million cubic yards of muck going to who knows where and doing who knows how much damage to the entire ecosystem clear to the Pacific.Only in Government contracts can you do one design and have it fail, and then be given another design project 100 times larger and 1,000 times more complex. Only in America. We need to wake up and stop this insanity of the liberal environmental bullies dictating how our natural resources are used or not used at all.