Key agreement reached toward removing Western river dams to help salmon

PacifiCorp agrees to Klamath dam removal terms

MEDFORD, Ore. — The utility that owns four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River has agreed to terms for their removal, a key milestone in efforts to restore what was once the third biggest salmon run on the West Coast and end decades of battles over scarce water.

PacifiCorp, the states of California and Oregon, American Indian tribes, federal agencies, irrigators and conservation groups announced the draft agreement Wednesday.

Actual removal is not expected to start until 2020, and depends on a determination by the U.S. secretary of Interior that it will actually help salmon and is in the public interest.

Pressure has been building for years on the Portland-based utility to remove the dams as salmon runs have declined, farmers have faced water shutoffs, and water quality in the river has declined.