Tentative deal will clear Klamath River for salmon

[depakid]

PacifiCorp faced the choice of installing $300 million worth of fish ladders and other improvements at four dams -- J.C. Boyle (above), Iron Gate, Copco No. 1 and Copco No. 2 -- or removing them altogether. State and federal officials and utilities struck a deal to remove the dams.
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Resurrection of one of the West Coast's great salmon rivers leapt ahead this week with a tentative deal to remove four Klamath River dams blocking fish from their richest habitat in southern Oregon.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski was the first to sign the agreement. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, the governor of California and the president of PacifiCorp's corporate parent are expected to sign the agreement this week.

It signals a potential resolution of the Klamath Basin's water struggles, which erupted in 2001 with a federal shutoff of water to farms to help imperiled salmon and other fish. The following year, with irrigation water restored, tens of thousands of salmon died in a warm, shrunken Klamath River downstream of the dams.

Several hurdles remain: Studies must show the benefits outweigh costs, and significant federal and state legislation are required.

Removing the dams and buying replacement power would put significant new costs on ratepayers of PacifiCorp, a unit of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., which is controlled by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. And some ratepayer advocates believe those costs will fall disproportionately on ratepayers in Oregon.

If the effort goes forward, it would mark the largest dam removal and salmon restoration effort ever undertaken, said Michael Carrier, natural resources adviser to Gov. Ted Kulongoski. He said it's a final piece of the solution to struggles over water, farms and wildlife in southern Oregon's Klamath Basin.

Under the new agreement, studies and analysis would run until 2020, when disassembly of the dams would begin.

Fishermen, biologists and others hope that reopening the river will help revive troubled West Coast salmon fisheries, which have collapsed twice since 2006.

"This is as big as anything we've ever seen in terms of restoring a wild salmon river," said Guido Rahr, president of Portland's Wild Salmon Center, which advocates salmon recovery around the world. "You really are giving a river the chance to come back."

More: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/11/tentative_deal_will_clear_klam.html

[First_Election]

1. That will be horrible for the people!

Those people in Oregon will not be able to pay there heating bills next winter! That could lead to small children and the elderly dying. The Oregon economy is very bad right now. Even in a good year there is no work. My sister lives outside of Klamath Falls,and she says most people are on fixed income(welfare, S.S.I). That would devastate them.

[sandnsea]

2. Well they've got 12 years to get ready

and I suspect there will be a lot bigger problems to affect the local economy than these dams. The chief being whether rural red counties develop with new energy and communications, or stagnate. My guess is Klamath Falls will stagnate as they haven't shown themselves able to evolve so far.

[hatrack]

3. Next winter? The dams wouldn't be removed until 2020.

I suggest reading the article before shrieking about "small children and the elderly dying".