Klamath Dam Removal

[Barry L. Alan]

Last week I spoke with Dave Muerer of the Klamath River Restoration Corporation. (KRRC) He is very optimistic
that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) will transfer the PacifiCorp dam licenses to the KRRC in the near future. That will allow the KRRC to proceed with removal of the 4 dams on the Klamath currently owned by PacifiCorp. However, Mr. Muerer told me that FERC is being bombarded with letters from opponents of the project to postpone the vote because of Covid 19. You can really help KRRC by writing to FERC to let them know that the project needs to move forward as planned.

FERC Address:
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20436
Docket Number: P 2082-062

Northern California salmon and steelhead really need your help!

Thank you,
Barry L. Alan

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Send this post around to all your friends who fish Steelhead because we all need to send in a note or letter saying we want those 4 dams

removed, ASAP.

Barry has been working on this and it looks like a go !

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Barry's message is telling us it is time for us to send in notes/letters to keep the pressure up on the dam removals....

[Jcolin]

I tried googling this to no avail. Does anyone know when the tentative date for dam removal is now? Thought i heard they pushed it back to 2021 or even 22

[Fishtopher]

I tried googling this to no avail. Does anyone know when the tentative date for dam removal is now? Thought i heard they pushed it back to 2021 or even 22

Just asked a friend involved in the process. 2021 is the target date and they are not expecting any delays due to COVID-19.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

This is one of my favorite rivers so it means a lot to me. Thanks....

[Jcolin]

This fall was my first time fishing it, got to spend 3 weeks camping out of my truck by myself. Was hands down the best trip I've had and definitely my favorite all time river now...black bears, elk, bald eagles everywhere. The way California was a long time ago. And swinging up fish in every riffle (that I almost always had to myself), though not the big winter fish I usually chase, was about as much fun as I've had. I was told this past fall was particularly good, but even so, can't imagine it possibly being any better after the dams come out...

[Jcolin]

Just asked a friend involved in the process. 2021 is the target date and they are not expecting any delays due to COVID-19.
Thanks fishtopher

[Andy]

The current timeline for actual removal (as opposed to site prep type stuff) of the dam structures is 2022.

Best,

Andy

[MThompson]

I wonder what the short term effects to fishing conditions will be after the dams are removed. Does it normally take awhile for things to normalize on the stream bed? Seems like silt might be an issue short term? Any predictions from experts?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

After they are down we just need another "100 year flood"?

______________________________

History of California floods:


1 1800–1899

1.1 Los Angeles flood of 1825
1.2 January 1850
1.3 Years closely following January 1850
1.4 October 1858: Schooner-beaching storm surge in San Diego
1.5 December 1861 – January 1862: California's Great Flood

2 1900–1949

2.1 1909: California flood
2.2 December 1933 – January 1934: Crescenta Valley flood
2.3 February 1937: Santa Ana flood
2.4 December 1937: Northeast California flood
2.5 Los Angeles Flood of 1938
2.6 September 1939: Los Angeles River

3 1950 – 1999

3.1 November 1950: California flood
3.2 December 1955: California flood
3.3 March 1964: North Coast California tsunami
3.4 December 1964: California flood
3.5 September 1976: Ocotillo flash flood
3.6 January 1982: Northern California flood
3.7 1986 California and Western Nevada floods
3.8 January and March 1995: California flood
3.9 New Year's Day 1997: Northern California flood

4 2000–present

4.1 August 2014: Coastal flooding due to "Big Wednesday" wave action
4.2 January 2017: California flood

[Rossflyguy]

Looks like we get a flood every 10 yrs give or take except for the drought in the early 2000’s.

[BumpBailey]

After they are down we just need another "100 year flood"?

______________________________

History of California floods:


1 1800–1899

1.1 Los Angeles flood of 1825
1.2 January 1850
1.3 Years closely following January 1850
1.4 October 1858: Schooner-beaching storm surge in San Diego
1.5 December 1861 – January 1862: California's Great Flood

2 1900–1949

2.1 1909: California flood
2.2 December 1933 – January 1934: Crescenta Valley flood
2.3 February 1937: Santa Ana flood
2.4 December 1937: Northeast California flood
2.5 Los Angeles Flood of 1938
2.6 September 1939: Los Angeles River

3 1950 – 1999

3.1 November 1950: California flood
3.2 December 1955: California flood
3.3 March 1964: North Coast California tsunami
3.4 December 1964: California flood
3.5 September 1976: Ocotillo flash flood
3.6 January 1982: Northern California flood
3.7 1986 California and Western Nevada floods
3.8 January and March 1995: California flood
3.9 New Year's Day 1997: Northern California flood

4 2000–present

4.1 August 2014: Coastal flooding due to "Big Wednesday" wave action
4.2 January 2017: California flood



Did a little reading after you posted this yesterday. The Great Flood of 1862 was scary big! Kind of makes you realize how volatile our weather actually is and always has been. Yes, they had atmospheric rivers back back in the 1800's! Definitely not some new phenomenon!

Jay

[k.hanley]

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/atmospheric-rivers-california-megaflood-lessons-from-forgotten-catastrophe/#

Thought you might enjoy this old article.
Cheers, Ken




After they are down we just need another "100 year flood"?

______________________________

History of California floods:


1 1800–1899

1.1 Los Angeles flood of 1825
1.2 January 1850
1.3 Years closely following January 1850
1.4 October 1858: Schooner-beaching storm surge in San Diego
1.5 December 1861 – January 1862: California's Great Flood

2 1900–1949

2.1 1909: California flood
2.2 December 1933 – January 1934: Crescenta Valley flood
2.3 February 1937: Santa Ana flood
2.4 December 1937: Northeast California flood
2.5 Los Angeles Flood of 1938
2.6 September 1939: Los Angeles River

3 1950 – 1999

3.1 November 1950: California flood
3.2 December 1955: California flood
3.3 March 1964: North Coast California tsunami
3.4 December 1964: California flood
3.5 September 1976: Ocotillo flash flood
3.6 January 1982: Northern California flood
3.7 1986 California and Western Nevada floods
3.8 January and March 1995: California flood
3.9 New Year's Day 1997: Northern California flood

4 2000–present

4.1 August 2014: Coastal flooding due to "Big Wednesday" wave action
4.2 January 2017: California flood

[Andy]

Cool article, never knew about that flood.......must've been a sight.

I always like checking out and pondering the old remnants of the Martins Ferry Bridge submerged in the Klamath from the rebuilt one.

That the Wietchpec store was washed away (and one of the owners died) is also super impressive if it sat anywhere near the current store it's a long way down to the river.

The Klamath does well in floods, the rearranging of the rocks is good for the system......it kills the worms that lead to c shasta, the smolt killer. More natural flow and flood events in the upper river are just what she needs and will follow dam removal.

Andy

[BumpBailey]

Cool article, never knew about that flood must've been a sight.

I always like checking out and pondering the old remnants of the Martins Ferry Bridge submerged in the Klamath from the rebuilt one. That the Wietchpec store was washed away (and one of the owners died) is also super impressive if it sat anywhere near the current store its a long way down to the river.

The Klamath does well in floods, the rearranging of the rocks is good for the system it kills the worms that lead to c shasta the smolt killer. More natural flow and flood events in the upper river are just what she needs and will follow dam removal.

Andy

How about the high water marks on the Eel! I am blown away by that every time I am there! There can be a lot of water of water coming down that river!

Free the Klamath!

Jay

[lee s.]

Well Ken,
Even a toilet is no good without a good flush! Mama Nature surely knows best. Think of all the debris that she would get cleaned out today.
....lee s.

[BumpBailey]

Great read Ken! Thank you.

Free the Klamath!


Jay

[DPLee]

After they are down we just need another "100 year flood"?

______________________________

History of California floods:


1 1800–1899

1.1 Los Angeles flood of 1825
1.2 January 1850
1.3 Years closely following January 1850
1.4 October 1858: Schooner-beaching storm surge in San Diego
1.5 December 1861 – January 1862: California's Great Flood

2 1900–1949

2.1 1909: California flood
2.2 December 1933 – January 1934: Crescenta Valley flood
2.3 February 1937: Santa Ana flood
2.4 December 1937: Northeast California flood
2.5 Los Angeles Flood of 1938
2.6 September 1939: Los Angeles River

3 1950 – 1999

3.1 November 1950: California flood
3.2 December 1955: California flood
3.3 March 1964: North Coast California tsunami
3.4 December 1964: California flood
3.5 September 1976: Ocotillo flash flood
3.6 January 1982: Northern California flood
3.7 1986 California and Western Nevada floods
3.8 January and March 1995: California flood
3.9 New Year's Day 1997: Northern California flood

4 2000–present

4.1 August 2014: Coastal flooding due to "Big Wednesday" wave action
4.2 January 2017: California flood

Bill;

Yes, floods in California are not unique and have occurred since European man began keeping records. Here's one more for your table from our upcoming book, California Winter Steelhead, Life History and Fly Fishing -"In the Southern Coast Region, rainfall from storms provides much of the streamflow in rivers and creeks. Unfortunately, rainfall in the region has demonstrated significant variation over time. In a 1931 report by H. B. Lynch, Consulting Engineer with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California- “Spanish missionaries arrived in California in 1769 during a period of heavy rainfall. Diaries of various individuals from that time included stream widths and depths throughout the region which suggested the preceding seasons were very wet…. The first flood reported in California occurred on the Los Angeles River in 1770.”

Dennis
www.dennisplee.com