Rivers Reborn · Episode 10 of 12 · 55 min
Taking Them Down: The Tribes Who Freed the Rivers
At the damming the tribes were ignored; at the removal they led, and cold economics became their ally. The episode tells two great takedowns: the Lower Elwha Klallam campaign that freed the Elwha from 2011 to 2014, and the Yurok, Karuk and Klamath Tribes' campaign that removed four Klamath dams in 2023-2024, the largest dam-removal project in world history and cheaper for PacifiCorp than the required retrofits.
Where it happens
- Elwha River, Olympic Peninsula, WashingtonTwo dams removed 2011-2014
- Klamath River, Oregon and California+3 more episodesFour dams removed 2023-2024
- Trinity River, CaliforniaKlamath's largest tributary, home to the Hoopa Valley Tribe
Timeline
- October 23, 1992Congress authorizes removal of both Elwha dams.
- September 2002Klamath fish kill spurs a tribally led removal campaign.
- February 18, 2010Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement signed by more than 40 parties.
- September 17, 2011Elwha dam removal begins.
- August 26, 2014Glines Canyon Dam fully removed; the Elwha runs free.
- April 6, 2016Amended Klamath agreement signed, creating the Klamath River Renewal Corporation.
Still debated
Whether removal was driven by principle or economics is the key question: Congress authorized the Elwha on restoration grounds, while Klamath removal turned on PacifiCorp's ratepayer math. Fish-kill counts and habitat mileage also vary by source.