Hydropower

Rethinking Klamath River Dam Removal

April 28, 2010
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The Copco 1 Dam on the Klamath River. Photo courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife.

When government and tribal leaders gathered in Salem earlier this year to sign the Klamath basin agreements, the talk was all about dam removal. ”Hasta la vista to the dams,” said California’s Governor Schwarzenegger.

But what Schwarzenegger, Governor Kulongoski and the others glossed over is that there is no agreement to remove dams on the Klamath River. There’s only an agreement to study the issue. A decision is a couple of years away.

And now we’re seeing what could be the first attempt to take advantage of that loophole.

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Feds Back Off From Plans To Barge Salmon Past Dams

April 19, 2010
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Columbia River Sockeye Salmon. Courtesy WDFW.

The Obama Administration is walking away from what could have become the first big salmon fight of 2010.

NOAA Fisheries is dropping plans to cut off spring time spills at four dams on the Lower Snake River.

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A Slow Barge To Recovery: Should Salmon Swim Or Be Shipped Past Dams?

April 9, 2010
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Columbia River Sockeye Salmon. Courtesy WDFW.

In any other part of the country, the idea might sound too crazy to be true.

The feds want changes in how they help young salmon in the Columbia River Basin migrate to the Pacific Ocean this summer. Instead of making sure there’s enough water to help salmon swim past dams, the feds propose rounding them up, putting the fish on barges, and shipping them down river.

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Help Speed Up Removal Of The Condit Dam

March 23, 2010
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Condit Dam on the White Salmon River in Washington State.

In 1999, Pacific Power, environmental groups and the Yakama Nation reached a landmark agreement to remove the Condit Dam on the White Salmon River.

More than a decade later, the dam is still there.

The delays are frustrating the Gifford Pinchot Task Force, which recently warned members that time is running out if the dam is going to be removed this year.

And here’s what it says you can do to help.

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Don’t Cry Over Spilled Water. Groups Say Let’s Help Salmon Instead.

March 8, 2010
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Fishing and conservation groups want the Washington Department of Ecology to loosen up some regulations and allow more water to be spilled over dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers.

If the timing is done right, spilling more water over dams helps young salmon migrate down river to the ocean. Conservationists compare it to the ride salmon used to get when they went over free flowing waterfalls. It speeds them along during a crucial phase of life, increases their survivability, and is a heckuva lot safer that being flushed through turbines.

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NOAA Will Rework Obama Salmon Plan

February 22, 2010
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Showing it knows how to read a judge’s memo, NOAA says it will spend the next three months reworking the Obama plan for salmon and steelhead in the Columbia Basin.

Friday’s announcement was a response to federal district court Judge Redden, who strongly suggested this action nearly two weeks ago.

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VIDEO: Highlights From Klamath Basin Signing Ceremony

February 18, 2010
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If you have trouble viewing this video, click here. Otherwise click on the Read More button to see the video.

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“Hasta La Vista” Dams: Deals Signed To End Klamath Basin Water Wars

February 18, 2010
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Judging by the love fest inside the Capitol Rotunda this morning, it’s hard to imagine that the Klamath water wars ever existed.

The room was filled with smiles, applause and some humor courtesy of Governor Schwarzenegger.

Schwarzenegger joked it was finally time to say, “Hasta la vista to the dams.” The crowd ate it up.

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A New Way Forward On Removing Klamath River Dams

December 15, 2009
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The Copco 1 Dam on the Klamath River. Photo courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife.

The Copco 1 Dam on the Klamath River. Photo courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife.

Several environmental groups are coming together with a new proposal for removing four hydroelectric dams from the Klamath River in Oregon and California.

It’s response to an earlier agreement announced in September by the Interior Department. While that agreement laid the foundation for dam removal, many environmental groups were not satisfied with it.

Today’s proposal is designed to move things along much, much faster.

The new coalition is calling itself the Klamath Conservation Partners, and here’s what it’s proposing.

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Does The Science Support The New Obama Salmon Plan?

November 30, 2009
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Yes and no, according to Rocky Barker in the Idaho Statesman.

The paper has a copy of a memo written after a group of independent scientists looked at the 2008 Biological Opinion, or BiOp. The BiOp is a ten year plan to help salmon and steelhead recover in the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

According to Barker, the independent team praises the BiOp for doing a great job with the scientific analysis of the plan. But it also questions how much good the BiOp will do for endangered fish because there’s not enough data to draw conclusions. The independent team also agrees with the Obama Administration that breaching dams on the Lower Snake River should only be done as a last resort.

See Story: Memo shows scientists raised doubts actions to save salmon will do as much as advertised.