Klamath River Dam Removal – Copco 2 Demolished
Date: 08/24/2023
State: CA
Issues: Watersheds, Wildlife
Partners: Choose Klamath, Karuk Tribe, Klamath River Renewal Corporation, Klamath Tribes, Klamath Water Users Association, Modoc Nation, Resource Environmental Solutions, Yurok Tribe
Airport Origin : Klamath Falls, OR
Mission
The largest dam demolition effort in US history is underway! Copco No. 2, the smallest of the four dams has been deconstructed; the remaining dams will be removed by the end of 2024, restoring vitality to the river and saving Chinook and coho salmon populations! We examined the watershed with Tribal leaders, KRRC, RES, members of the media, and landowners.
The KRRC (Klamath River Renewal Corporation), an independent nonprofit, has taken ownership of the four dams to oversee their removal, restore volitional fish passage, and work with Resource Environmental Solutions (RES) to execute ecological restoration.
Thank you to our flight partners and the Tribal leadership that have been critical in the efforts to remove these old, inefficient hydroelectric relics and restore salmon and steelhead runs.
Click for photos from an 8/24/23 overflight of the Upper Klamath Basin.
Click for geo-referenced flight photos. This kml file is best viewed in Google Earth.
