Where is the Klamath River and why is it important?

The Klamath River flows from Oregon's Cascades to the Redwood coast of California. Once the third-largest salmon fishery on the West Coast, the Klamath is now a shadow of its former self with runs at less than 10% of their historic numbers, and water degraded by toxic algae blooms in PacifiCorp's reservoirs.

Why remove dams on the Klamath River?

The four dams targeted for removal have little or no flood control capacity, and do not supply agricultural diversions or drinking water. They have blocked salmon from 300+ miles of historic spawning habitat for 90 years, contributing to a 90% reduction in salmon populations on the Klamath River. The dams are also responsible for breeding toxic algae blooms that close the river to recreational contact during the height of fishing season. Poor salmon returns on the Klamath shut down the West Coast commercial fishery in 2006, and continue to negatively impact Native Tribes who rely on salmon culturally and economically. Back to homepage.

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