Demolition began this week on the smallest dam on the Klamath River, Copco No. 2 in Oregon. Crews have removed gates, a walkway and two of five bays down to the spillway.
Organizers who advocated for the removal said that seeing pictures of the demolition finally made the decades-long fight to undam the Klamath a reality.
“It’s hard to explain how emotional all of us all are,” said Craig Tucker, a natural resources policy consultant for the Karuk Tribe.
Copco No. 2 would be in the way when the much larger Copco No. 1 is dismantled next year, so it goes first.
The deconstruction of Copco No. 2 was done to direct waters around the dam, rather than over it, which will allow construction crews to do work through the summer months, according to a news release from the nonprofit Klamath River Renewal Corporation, which is overseeing the removal of the dams and restoration of the area.
The deconstruction of Copco No. 2 is set to be completed by September, according to a KRRC dam removal document. The other dams will come down by late 2024.
“If you truly believe in something, you have to fight for it. We’ve been fighting through generations; my children have been brought up in this,” said Annelia Hillman, a community activist who’s been advocating for dam removal for 20 years.
Tucker said dam removal never would have happened without the leadership of tribes, especially the Yurok Tribe and the Karuk Tribe.
“They won, and they were just simply relentless. I think a lot of other organizations would have thrown up their hands a long time ago,” said Tucker.
He added that a lot of people made it happen, including a coalition of multiple tribes, a handful of conservation groups and commercial fishermen groups.
He said this is a reflection on how important the Klamath River is for so many different communities.
Tucker and Hillman each said that the dam removal is only the beginning.
“We’re going to have hundreds of miles of historical habitat that is once again available to fish. There’s a lot of restoration work that needs to happen,” Tucker said.
Tucker said that flow limits now need to be made to ensure the water is shared equitably, as a 225,000-acre federally owned irrigation project is upstream of the dams. How much water comes down the river is largely a function of how much water goes to the project, he said.
Hillman said the decades-long process has involved a lot of stalling and bureaucracy, and said she was surprised to get the call about the first dam coming down.
Ren Brownell, public information officer for KRRC, said that mostly prep work for the removals is being done this year, including building an access road to reach the Copco dams.
Tucker said lots of construction was required before demolition could start, adding that the fall creek hatchery is close to being completely built. He said it looks like they’re progressing right on schedule for the deconstruction.
“As long as our river is in peril, we need to continue to pray for it and act upon it, and come together as river people,” said Hillman, adding that unity between tribal communities is important to defend the health of the river. She said organizers for the yearly Salmon Run want to continue the tradition for a few generations.
“Scrappy communities behind the redwood curtain can get it together to take on big energy companies, and win,” said Tucker. He thanked those who’d shown up to meetings or marches or wrote letters to representatives.
According to KRRC, the project is fully funded. Funding sources include PacifiCorp customer surcharges and Proposition 1 water bond funds.
If costs exceed funds for the project, “KRRC has negotiated a “guaranteed maximum price” with Kiewit, the design/build contractor, and RES, the restoration contractor,” a 2021 KRRC release states. Under the terms of the Memorandum of Agreement, PacifiCorp and the States of California and Oregon will provide additional funding on top of existing contingency funds if needed.
Sage Alexander can be reached at 707-441-0504.
