10/02/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/02/2024 12:27
Oct 2, 2024
What you need to know: The largest river restoration project in American history has officially completed all of the work to remove the dams, a massive infrastructure project that was done ahead of schedule and on budget. Work will continue for several years restoring the 2,200 acres of formerly submerged lands.
SACRAMENTO - Today, Governor Newsom announced that the Klamath River restoration project completed the final work to remove the dams from the river. The largest such infrastructure project in American history has came in ahead of schedule and on budget.
While the dam removal portion of the project is now complete, work will continue for several years restoring the 2,200 acres of formerly submerged lands.
Governor Newsom helped convene leaders in 2020 to advance this restoration plan and since then has pushed for the needed federal approvals, returned land to the Shasta Indian Nation, visited the site, and more. In August, the Governor announced that the project had gotten to the point of fish being able to swim freely for the first time in more than 100 years, with the Klamath River returning to free-flowing.
Governor Gavin Newsom
The removal of the dams, which had blocked the river's natural flow for over a century, restores nearly 400 miles of vital habitat for salmon and other species that are essential to the river's ecosystem and the communities that depend on them.
Here's what tribal leaders had to say:
The Klamath River, once the third-largest salmon-producing river on the West Coast, has faced drastic declines in fish populations since the construction of hydroelectric dams began in 1918. The river's blocked flow reduced water quality, increased temperatures, and made it nearly impossible for salmon and steelhead to complete their life cycles.
This represents a major victory for the Klamath Basin tribes, the States of California and Oregon, and numerous environmental and fishing groups.
Below is how the river has transformed with each dam's removal:
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