New life for the Carmel River

The Carmel River Reroute and San Clemente Dam Project is the largest dam removal project ever to occur in California and one of the largest to occur on the West Coast.  This groundbreaking project sets precedence for other dam removal and river restoration projects in California and nationwide.

When complete, the project will remove the 106 foot high antiquated dam and implement a watershed restoration process that will bring the Carmel River back to life.

LINK

Dam News

A rash of dam news from the Columbia Basin Bulletin

Shad don't mind the dams.

Non-native American shad are experiencing a revival of sorts to the Columbia River basin, it would appear, with counts at Bonneville Dam fish ladders spiking recently.

LINK

Corps Moves Ahead To Remove 1930s Sandy River Dam

The U.S. Corps of Engineers is set to reestablish the long-clogged main channel of northwest Oregon’s Sandy River near its confluence with the Columbia River, thus restoring historic conditions that are expected to provide more habitat benefits for protected salmon and steelhead as well as other fish and wildlife species.

LINK

Certain Cumulative Environmental Damage Caused By Small Dams Is Worse Than Larger Dams

Researchers conclude in a new report that a global push for small hydropower projects, supported by various nations and also the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, may cause unanticipated and potentially significant losses of habitat and biodiversity.

LINK

Congressional hearing: Committee to take up Klamath dam debate

A year and a half after congressional legislation was introduce to give the green light to Klamath dam removal, the issue will have its first congressional hearing by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in June.

LINK (via: The Siskiyou Daily)

Which Fish Get To Recolonize After Elwha’s Dams Are Gone?

The removal of the Elwha Dams created a unique opportunity to restore a wild run of steelhead.

Unbelievably fisheries biologists are now transporting hatchery raised steelhead, along with some wild fish, above the former Elwha dam sites.

As the video, audio and link below show, those that earn their living off the robust economy of hatcheries continue to spin the debate about hatchery vs wild fish.

How bout this?

Regardless of the of "ongoing" debate, you're squandering a once in a lifetime opportunity to win one for wild fish. Instead of transporting those hatchery raised fish to the clear tributaries above the dismantled dams you would have been better served pairing them with a cedar plank and a nice Chardonnay.

It's bullshit, utter fucking bullshit.

You can read more happy horseshit here.

Project to remove San Clemente dam given the green light

Another one bites the dust!

The $83 million project includes removal of the 106-foot dam which was built in 1921 and is 15 miles above Carmel. The dam, which was ruled seismically unsafe in the 1990s, has been out of use for years and has millions of cubic feet of silt behind it. The project also includes re-routing the Carmel River and removing the old Carmel River dam. It is expected to improve the river's natural habitat for endangered steelhead and other protected species.

LINK (via: The Monterey Herald)

Feds recommend removing dams from Klamath River

The federal government on Thursday recommended that all four aging hydroelectric dams be removed from the Klamath River in southern Oregon and Northern California to help struggling wild salmon runs, and nearly $1 billion should be spent on environmental restoration.

LINK (via: SF Gate)

A shame that Tom McClintock and his House Republican pals won't let the dam removal measures come to a vote.