Let the Klamath flow.Byline: The Register-Guard The Klamath River Klamath River River, southern Oregon and northwestern California, U.S. Rising in Upper Klamath Lake just above Klamath Falls, Ore., it flows south and southwest for 250 mi (400 km) through the Klamath Mountains in California and empties into the Pacific Ocean. once supported the third-largest salmon runs The salmon run is the time at which salmon swim back up the rivers in which they were born to spawn. Pacific salmon spawn and then die, while Atlantic salmon winter over in deep spots in the river and try to return to the sea to recover in the spring and return to spawn again in on the West Coast. But the river has become so shallow, warm and polluted pol·lute tr.v. pol·lut·ed, pol·lut·ing, pol·lutes 1. To make unfit for or harmful to living things, especially by the addition of waste matter. See Synonyms at contaminate. 2. that the once abundant runs have declined to the point of prompting the federal government to practically shut down commercial fishing on the West Coast. Many factors have contributed to the Klamath's plight, including excessive irrigation irrigation, in agriculture, artificial watering of the land. Although used chiefly in regions with annual rainfall of less than 20 in. (51 cm), it is also used in wetter areas to grow certain crops, e.g., rice. withdrawals, agricultural runoff Runoff The procedure of printing the end-of-day prices for every stock on an exchange onto ticker tape. Notes: If the "tape is late" then it can take a long time to print off all the closing prices. , logging, grazing grazing, n See irregular feeding. grazing 1. actions of herbivorous animals eating growing pasture or cereal crop. 2. area of pasture or cereal crop to be used as standing feed. See also pasture. and gold mining. But the greatest threat to salmon is a series of four power-generating dams owned by PacificCorp, which is struggling to secure a new 50-year license to operate the dams. In a decision that could trigger removal of the dams and provide a breakthrough on one of the West's greatest environmental challenges, federal fish agencies said earlier this week that the utility must make costly improvements to allow salmon passage before its license is renewed. The cost of those improvements - which include fish ladders, turbine screens and fish bypasses - has been estimated at nearly $300 million. Since removing the dams would only cost two-thirds that amount, the obvious choice for the utility is to abandon the relicensing effort and begin the complex process of shutting down the power plants and breaching the dams. Demolition of the Klamath dams would be a historic move - the first time that four hydroelectric dams have been removed from any river in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. or, for that matter, anywhere in the world. Dam removal also would be a welcome development for Klamath salmon, prompting what fish biologists predict would be a dramatic revival of the species, as well as the fishing industries, coastal communities and Indian tribes INDIAN TRIBE. A separate and distinct community or body of the aboriginal Indian race of men found in the United States. 2. Such a tribe, situated within the boundaries of a state, and exercising the powers of government and, sovereignty, under the national that historically have depended on it for survival. Momentum for dam removal has been building since last year, when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is a United States federal agency. A division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Commerce, NMFS is responsible for the stewardship and management of the nation's living marine concluded that removal would be in the best interest of salmon. PacificCorp has stated publicly that it's open to removing the dams "as long as our customers are not harmed and our property rights are respected." The four dams produce electricity for 70,000 PacificCorp customers and generate nearly $30 million a year. The loss of any power from the Northwest grid should not be minimized, but the Klamath dams are relatively small power producers. They produce a combined total of 150 megawatts, which represent only 1.7 percent of PacificCorp's overall output. The utility should have little difficulty replacing that output, particularly if Oregon and California provide help in the form of tax credits and production subsidies. After decades of debate over the future of the Klamath, it's increasingly clear that the best outcome, both economically and environmentally, is to remove the dams and to allow salmon to swim freely in what eventually could be one of the nation's healthiest and most productive rivers. |
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