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Klamath Dams
Average number of adult wild salmon historically returning to the Klamath each year: 880,000
Average number currently returning: Way below 100,000
Opportunities to remove Klamath dams: 1 every 50 years
Un-Dam the Klamath for the Klamath Salmon
The Klamath dams are currently up for re-licensing by Pacific Power, an energy company from Portland, Oregon, which is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. This process occurs once every 50 years. These dams have outliv
ed their usefulness. They block 350 miles of salmon habitat and cause toxic conditions in the Klamath River. They don't provide flood control or irrigation diversions, and produce relatively little power. Klamath native and non-native people are working within the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) process to bring the Salmon Home, to the upper Klamath basin.
Warren Buffett and PacifiCorp
Our grassroots campaign to Bring the Salmon home applies pressure on PacifiCorp, the owner of the dams, and Warren Buffett, the owner of Berkshire Hathaway, which owns PacifiCorp.
The movement for Klamath dam removal has brought us to Portland, OR, Omaha, NE and Scotland to educate shareholders, ratepayers and the general public on the importance of the Klamath Salmon and how the Klamath dams are both losing them money and sacrificing the Klamath river and all the people and species that depend on it.
Dams Hurt Communities and Fish
The people of the Klamath River remember when the salmon fed four tribes and supported thriving coastal fishing communities. River people are still very dependent on clean water and fish. Currently all species of Salmon and many of the other fish species in the Klamath are experiencing record lows. Furthermore, the Klamath reservoirs have some of the highest levels of toxic algae in the nation, and yearly fish kills plague the river.
Large-scale Hydro on the Klamath is NOT Clean, Green, or Cheap
While at first glance, large-scale hydro seems renewable, closer inspection reveals a host of problems. Backed up behind PacifiCorp’s hydro projects are the nation’s highest concentrations of toxic algae, thriving in the artificially warm and stagnant water that dams create. You may have heard that these toxins – measured at levels 4000 times what the World Health Organization considers a risk to human health – can make you, your kids, and your pets ill. What you may not have heard is that these huge algae blooms release greenhouse gases. 
Published science reveals that the world’s largest dams release 104 million metric tons of methane annually, the single largest source of human-related methane emissions on the planet. Scientists have made preliminary estimates based on water quality conditions on the Klamath, and found that up to 1/8 of the carbon emissions displaced by the Klamath Hydro Project are regained from methane emissions.
With toxic algae scums increasing in mass every year, we have reason to believe this number could rise in the near future. When we factor in the catastrophic loss of wild Pacific salmon runs, and the human lives that depend on them, PacifiCorp’s hydro projects are looking pretty dirty.
To be clear, PacifiCorp currently has less than 2% of its energy holdings in renewables, and it does so because its’ mandated to by Oregon state law. Replacing the dirty Klamath Dams with true renewables like wind and solar – as PGE has done with the Marmot Dam on the Sandy River – would help PacifiCorp meet another Oregon mandate that utilities have 25% true renewables by 2025.
Investing in a Restoration Economy on the Klamath
Dam removal means a $200-500 million investment in deconstruction, which means new jobs in Siskiyou County and a huge cash influx to local businesses. As salmon runs recover, toxic algae disappears, and the river regains its natural look, fishermen and recreationalists will flock to the Klamath. The local tourism and angling industry is currently in decline, and this investment in the “restoration economy” will turn that around, drawing visitors to raft, explore and fish the Klamath’s famous waters. Riverfront property values will likely increase as water quality improves, and struggling coastal fishermen will get their jobs back.
More resources on the campaign to Un-Dam the Klamath River: