US: Salmon habitats to be restored through world’s largest dam demolition drive

To save the iconic salmon fish, US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gavea nod on Thursday for the largest dam demolition drive in US as it issued an order asking surrender of the dam licences. With this, four dams on a California river are set to be demolished.

This dam demolition drive will open up hundreds of miles of salmon habitat. Perceived as the largest river restoration project in the world when it goes forward, the drive includes four dams on California-Oregon border to be decommissioned on Klamath river.

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Salmon fish use this corridor to reach spawning grounds and the dam removal will again improve the health of the Klamath river. Chinook salmon and endangered coho salmon take this route to move from the Pacific Ocean to their upstream spawning grounds. Native tribes have been pushing for this initiative for long.

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Their ancestors have lived off the salmon for centuries. However, lives of these tribes have been disrupted by settlements. Climate change and drought have also stressed the salmon habitat. It is becoming increasingly difficult for fishes to survive in the Klamath river as it is becoming too warm and full of parasites.

These dams when function at full capacity provide electricity for about 70,000 homes. Once the dam demolition drive takes place this will be surrendered by the power utility PacifiCorp, a unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. The company has now entered an agreement with the tribes and the US government to decommission the dams.

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The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's unanimous vote is the last major regulatory hurdle. A $500 million demolition proposal was supported by Native American tribes and environmentalists for years.

“The Klamath salmon are coming home,” Yurok Chairman Joseph James said after the vote. “The people have earned this victory and with it, we carry on our sacred duty to the fish that have sustained our people since the beginning of time.”

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