As work begins on the largest US dam removal project, tribes look to a future of growth
(29 Sep 2023) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4455836 RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Hornbrook, California - 17 September 2023 1. Various Iron Gate Dam HEADLINE: Largest U.S. dam removal project now underway +++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED+++ 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Bransom, CEO, Klamath River Renewal Corporation: "We're in the process of removing the Iron Gate Dam and three other dams here on the Klamath. A year from now, the Klamath will be a free flowing river through this hydroelectric reach for the first time in over 100 years. These dams were built to produce hydroelectric power. They don't store water for municipal or agricultural uses, and they're not operated to provide any flood control benefits, simply to use the water to spin turbines to generate electricity. The electric company that previously owned the dams made a decision that they did not want to continue to operate them and entered into a settlement agreement in 2016 that resulted in the transfer of the facilities to the renewable Corporation for purposes of removal." 3. Blueprint showing tree planting plans once dam removed 4. Reservoir which will eventually be eliminated 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Dave Meurer, Director, Resource Environmental Solutions: "We want to stabilize the soil. We want to get things growing. We will also be helicoptering in trees." 6. Various reservoir above dam CAPTION: Once the reservoir is drained, the Shasta Indian Tribe is hoping to reclaim some of their homeland which was flooded when the dams were built. 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sami Jo Difuntorum, Cultural Preservation Officer, Shasta Indian Nation: "The time that the dams were built and the area inundated, some of the land was taken by imminent domain, but our people were displaced from this area." ASSOCIATED PRESS Chiloquin, Oregon - 18 September 10. Various creek feeding into Klamath River CAPTION: Other tribes are looking forward to the return of salmon and other fish populations that were decimated by the construction of the dams. +++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED+++ 11. SOUNDBITE (English) Don Gentry, Natural Resources Specialist, Klamath Tribes: "Some of our people say we're here because those fish were here. You know, it helped us survive the ages. To restore the salmon, it may take really concentrated efforts, some hatchery supplementation before they finally can maintain their own populations, spawning naturally and reach harvestable levels. The biologist said, what happens if even a one salmon comes up here, you know, after the dams are removed? You know, in early years, that would be a pretty amazing." ASSOCIATED PRESS Hornbrook, California - 17 September 2023 12. Various Copco Dams in process of being removed STORYLINE: The largest dam removal project in United States history is underway along the California-Oregon border, a process that won’t conclude until the end of next year with the help of heavy machinery and explosives. But in some ways, removing the dams is the easy part. The hard part will come over the next decade as workers, partnering with Native American tribes, plant and monitor nearly 17 billion seeds as they try to restore the Klamath River and the surrounding land to what it looked like before the dams started to go up more than a century ago. The demolition is part of a national movement to return the natural flow of the nation’s rivers and restore habitat for fish and the ecosystems that sustain other wildlife. By comparison, the 65 dams removed in the U.S. last year combined to reconnect 430 miles (692 kilometers) of river. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
