Damn Dams -- Unlimited dam removal

Started by Woolly Bugger, May 02, 2020, 06:57:09 AM

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Woolly Bugger

https://caltrout.org/watershed-moments/klamath

The Klamath River flows 253 miles from Southern Oregon through the mountains of far Northern California where it passes five hydropower dams before ultimately reaching the California coast, draining a basin of more than 10 million acres. The watershed is renowned for its majestic lakes, rivers, fishing opportunities, and strong agricultural economy.
 

The Klamath River Watershed is home to six federally-recognized Tribes (the Yurok, Karuk, Hoopa, Shasta, and Klamath tribes, plus Quartz Valley Indian Reservation and the Resighini Rancheria) who lived off and tended to the fertile lands for thousands of years before European colonization. Today, Tribal nations control approximately 10 percent of the watershed while 60 percent is managed by public agencies (such as the National Park Service) and 30 percent is privately owned.

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ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Dougfish

My wife is flying back tomorrow after a week of heath care consulting with the tribes in Klamath Falls/Chiloquin OR.
If this gig continues, I might go out to fish.
"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here?
 Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change? "
Kelly's Heroes,1970

"I don't wanna go to hell,
But if I do,
It'll be 'cause of you..."
Strange Desire, The Black Keys, 2006

Woolly Bugger

Federal approvals clear way for Klamath River dam removals

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January 17, 2023
Federal approvals clear way for Klamath River dam removals
West Coast & Pacific News
Guest Author:National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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The Iron Gate Dam on the Klamath River is one of several expected to be removed in 2024. Credit: Thomas Dunklin/NOAA.

Adecades-long effort to remove four dams on the lower Klamath River in California and Oregon would be the largest dam removal in the world. The dam removals would reopen access to more than 400 miles of habitat for threatened coho salmon, Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and other threatened native fish.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Nov. 17 gave final approval for the surrender of utility licensing for the dams, clearing the way for their removal as part of the restoration effort.

NOAA is one of many partners collaborating to build a network of restored habitat that can support these species once the dams are removed. NOAA, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, and Trout Unlimited have released a detailed plan for restoring habitat in a key portion of the watershed.


https://www.nationalfisherman.com/west-coast-pacific/federal-approvals-clear-way-for-klamath-river-dam-removals
ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Woolly Bugger

didn't know where to post this? under damn dams or water stupid....


As the Colorado River shrinks, federal officials consider overhauling Glen Canyon Dam


The desiccation of the Colorado River has left Lake Powell, the country's second-largest reservoir, at just 23% of capacity, its lowest level since it was filled in the 1960s.

With the reservoir now just 32 feet away from "minimum power pool" — the point at which Glen Canyon Dam would no longer generate power for six states — federal officials are studying the possibility of overhauling the dam so that it can continue to generate electricity and release water at critically low levels.

A preliminary analysis of potential modifications to the dam emerged during a virtual meeting held by the federal Bureau of Reclamation, which is also reviewing options for averting a collapse of the water supply along the river. These new discussions about retooling the dam reflect growing concerns among federal officials about how climate change is contributing to the Colorado River's reduced flows, and how declining reservoirs could force major changes in dam management for years to come.


Among the immediate concerns is the threat of the reservoir dropping below the dam's power-generating threshold. If that were to occur, water would only flow through four 8-foot-wide bypass tubes, called the outlet works, which would create a chokepoint with reduced water-releasing capacity.


>>>>Weisheit said he favors the option of investing in solar and wind energy. Instead of spending up to $3 billion trying to squeeze a shrinking amount of power from the dam, he said, "you can build a lot of solar cells and turbines," including nearby on the Navajo Nation, which needs electricity.

Weisheit said he thinks the situation shows Glen Canyon Dam isn't needed.

"Take the dam out," he said, "because it's not the right dam for climate change."

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-02-18/federal-officials-consider-overhauling-glen-canyon-dam

ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Onslow


Woolly Bugger

Quote from: Onslow link=msg=178987Whatever excess the Salt and Verde produce ends up in California .



Fixed
ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Woolly Bugger

#81
Biden-Harris Administration Announces $35 Million for National Fish Passage
Projects to Address Climate Resilience and Strengthen Local Economies

The Department of the Interior today announced a $35 million investment in fiscal year 2023 funding from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for 39 projects in 22 states that will address outdated or obsolete dams, culverts, levees and other barriers fragmenting our nation's rivers and streams. Today's announcement is part of the Department's five-year $200 million commitment to restore free-flowing waters, allowing fish migration and protecting communities from flooding rivers and streams. It is also part of an over $3 billion investment in fish passage and aquatic connectivity projects under the Investing in America agenda, which includes funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.

"President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in our nation's rivers, streams and communities and help restore habitat connectivity for aquatic species around the country," said Secretary Deb Haaland. "As the effects of climate change continue to intensify, Tribal Nations in particular are facing unique climate-related challenges that threaten resources vital to Indigenous communities. These fish passage investments will support community-led transitions and facilitate long-term conservation and economic growth in these areas."  

Each of the funded projects was developed collaboratively by local partners and selected through a competitive process led by an interdisciplinary panel of experts from multiple federal agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service and National Marine Fisheries Service. Nine of the projects receiving investments will be led by Tribal partners, and many will help with conservation efforts for threatened or endangered species.

"Across the country there are millions of barriers that block viable corridors for fish and other aquatic wildlife to access spawning grounds, food sources and safe water. This historic law is giving these aquatic species a chance," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams. "Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law bolsters our efforts to improve fish passage that ultimately conserves freshwater and migratory fish and wildlife, promotes safer community infrastructure, and encourages climate resiliency."

Projects will be funded in Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Details are available on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's website.

https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-announces-35-million-national-fish-passage-projects


This includes one project in North Carolina; Ela Dam Removal Project

This project will remove the Ela Dam on the Oconaluftee River in Whittier, North Carolina. The Ela Dam has starved the downstream river of sediment, caused water loss through evaporation, and limited habitat access of several rare species in the area. Removal of this dam will restore the river and reopen nearly 550 miles that benefit the federally endangered Appalachian elktoe mussel and other rare aquatic species like the eastern hellbender. This project will be a significant benefit for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians and imperiled species in the area. Increased habitat and spawning migration will restore the population of sicklefin redhorse, which was once a vital and thriving fishery of the Cherokee.
ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

trout-r-us

#82
"Biden-Harris Administration Announces $35 Million for National Fish Passage
Projects to Address Climate Resilience and Strengthen Local Economies"

"It is also part of an over $3 billion investment in fish passage and aquatic connectivity projects under the Investing in America agenda..."

Biden-Harris gettin' stuff done.  n!n


"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."
― Heraclitus

Trout Maharishi

#83
Glad to see the dam in Ela go. I hope it will improve the fishing in the Tuck. I don't understand where the 550 mile figure comes into play though? The Ela dam is filled with water from the Oconaluftee and is only about a mile or so from the Tuckasegee. Then the Tuck flows into Fontana Lake just a few miles downstream from Bryson City.  I don't know what Kamala had to do with it, but I certainly think he should be given credit as well.
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"We're all going to die, all of us, what a circus! That alone should make us love each other but it doesn't. We are terrorized and flattened by trivialities, we are eaten up by nothing."
― Charles Bukowski

Woolly Bugger

Wildlife: Why are dams being removed across Europe?

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There has been a record number of river barriers removed across Europe according to a new report.

Dam Removal Europe, a collection of seven organisations including The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and The Rivers Trust, said at least 325 barriers were taken away across Europe.

Spain has 125 removals of barriers, which includes dams and weirs, while the UK completed 29 removals in total.

So why are so many dams being taken away?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/65387083
ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Onslow



This is the last dam on the Deep River not far from the Haw River confluence.

If this dam fails, Kentucky spotted bass will be able to migrate all the way up to high falls and take over.  However, this will open up more fishing at one of the most scenic areas of the Deep just below the confluence of the Rocky River.


Woolly Bugger

#86
The Trillion-Gallon Question
Extreme weather is threatening California's dams. What happens if they fail?

On the morning of Feb. 7, 2017, two electricians were working on a warning siren near the spillway of Oroville Dam, 60 miles north of Sacramento, when they heard an explosion. As they watched, a giant plume of water rose over their heads, and chunks of concrete began flying down the hillside toward the Feather River. The dam's spillway, a concrete channel capable of moving millions of gallons of water out of the reservoir in seconds, was disintegrating in front of them. If it had to be taken out of service, a serious rainstorm, like the one that had been falling on Northern California for days, could cause the dam — the tallest in the United States — to fail.

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Full NYT Article
ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Woolly Bugger

Officials celebrate removal of St. Helena's Upper York Creek Dam
Project restores access to spawning and rearing habitat for steelhead trout

 It might not be as visible as the flood project, but St. Helena's other major public works accomplishment of this century got its moment to shine on Tuesday.

City officials and dignitaries including Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, gathered at the former site of the Upper York Creek Dam along Spring Mountain Road to celebrate the dam's removal.

Twenty-eight years in the making, the $9 million project was completed in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, so the city waited until Tuesday to unveil a plaque commemorating the work.

Removing the dam restored access to spawning and rearing habitat for steelhead trout throughout 1.6 miles of York Creek.


https://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/officials-celebrate-removal-of-st-helena-s-upper-york-creek-dam/article_fd3046fc-15cf-11ee-83ae-7b5b960730a3.html
ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Woolly Bugger

Klamath River dam deconstruction begins!

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We are thrilled to share that deconstruction of Copco 2, the first of four dams slated to be removed on the Klamath River, has begun! Deconstruction of this dam will continue through the summer, with final decommissioning and complete removal occurring sometime in September. The other three dams, Iron Gate, Copco No. 1, and JC Boyle are expected to be removed in 2024. Learn more here.

CalTrout has been advocating for removal of the Klamath River dams for decades, and we are stoked to celebrate this significant milestone. And did you know this is going to be the world's largest dam removal ever? We couldn't have gotten here without your generous support. Thank you.

Beyond the Klamath River, we have our sights set on removing the Eel River dams, Rindge Dam, Matilija Dam, Battle Creek dams, and Searsville Dam. We need your help to get all these dams out!

Let's reconnect habitat for salmon and steelhead and remove obsolete dams across the state

https://caltrout.org/news/copco-2-deconstruction-begins-on-klamath-river?utm_source=California+Trout+List&utm_campaign=762ea3aa03-watershed+moments+launch_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cf2a51cf18-762ea3aa03-300339770&mc_cid=762ea3aa03&mc_eid=e5edc69cc8


ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Onslow

#89
Damn dams.  Reservoirs are sediment bowls.  Some more so than others.  It is a safe bet to conclude the Yadkin carries more sediment above HRL than any other river in NC,  and sadly for HRL, this means the whole lake will look like a delta soon. 

https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/piedmont-triad/dredging-plans-underway-at-high-rock-lake/amp/

Those who do not understand the environment will  make poor real estate investments. Ignorance does not pay.