Klamath River Dam Removal
Four Klamath River dams came out by October 2024, reopening more than 400 miles of habitat to salmon, steelhead and lamprey (Klamath River Renewal).
Image: NASA (PIA26448, Klamath River, Oregon and California).
Last reviewed: 3 sources cited
Explain Like I'm 10
- Dams are walls across rivers. On the Klamath River, four big dams stopped salmon from swimming upstream for about 100 years.
- In 2024 all four dams were taken out.
- Now salmon can swim to more than 400 miles of river again, and people are planting new plants where the old lakes were.
The Five W's of Klamath River Dam Removal
Who
The Klamath River Renewal Corporation, Tribal Nations, the states of Oregon and California, and NOAA Fisheries.
Source: NOAA Fisheries, Final step in Klamath River dam removal
What
The removal of four hydroelectric dams on the lower Klamath River, the largest dam removal in U.S. history.
Source: Klamath River Renewal Corporation, Klamath dam removal comes to a close
When
The smallest dam came out in 2023; the last work in the river finished on October 2, 2024.
Source: Office of the Governor of California, Klamath River dams fully removed
Where
The Klamath River in southern Oregon and northern California.
Source: Klamath River Renewal Corporation, Klamath dam removal comes to a close
Why
The dams blocked salmon for about a century and warmed the river. The Klamath was once the third-largest salmon river on the West Coast.
Source: Office of the Governor of California, Klamath River dams fully removed
Impact Statement
Agency solution · active
With the dams gone, fish can again reach more than 400 miles of river and creeks in the upper Klamath Basin. Crews are replanting 2,200 acres of land that sat underwater for a century.
Source: Klamath River Renewal Corporation, Klamath dam removal comes to a close
For Further Information: NOAA Fisheries, Final step in Klamath River dam removal
Removing four Klamath River dams reopened more than 400 miles of habitat to salmon.
How This Saves People & the Planet
For People
Tribal Nations and river communities depend on Klamath salmon for food and culture; reopened habitat gives the fishery a path to recovery.
Source: Office of the Governor of California, Klamath River dams fully removed
For Nature
Salmon, steelhead and lamprey can swim to habitat blocked for decades, and native seed now covers the drained reservoir land.
Source: NOAA Fisheries, Final step in Klamath River dam removal
Want to go deeper? NOAA Fisheries has the full Klamath story.
For Further InformationRelated Solutions
More solutions like this one, matched by meaning.
For Teachers
Discussion questions
- What is Klamath River Dam Removal, and what problem does it help solve?
- Who is behind Klamath River Dam Removal, and where does the work happen?
- How does Klamath River Dam Removal help both people and nature? Use one fact from this page.
Sources are listed with each fact in the Five W's above.
Cite This Page
APA
Saving Planets. (n.d.). Klamath River Dam Removal. https://www.savingplanets.com/Klamath_River_Dam_Removal.html
MLA
"Klamath River Dam Removal." Saving Planets, https://www.savingplanets.com/Klamath_River_Dam_Removal.html.