"In what is being touted as the world's biggest dam-removal project, an agreement was reached Tuesday to remove four dams on the Klamath River and restore a 300-mile migratory route for California's beleaguered salmon.

The tentative agreement was reached after a decade of negotiations among 28 parties, including American Indian tribes, farmers, fishermen and the hydroelectric company that operates the dams and distributes the water. The plan would set in motion one of the most ambitious efforts in U.S. history to restore the habitat of a federally protected species if it receives final approval by the parties in December, as expected.

The dams -- Iron Gate, Copco 1, Copco 2 and J.C. Boyle -- have blocked salmon migration for a century along the California-Oregon border and have been blamed for much of the historic decline of chinook and coho salmon and steelhead trout in the Klamath. Under the plan, the dams operated by the utility, PacificCorp, would be dismantled beginning in 2020."

Peter Fimrite reports for the San Francisco Chronicle September 30, 2009. [2]

See Also:

"Could Klamath Dam Removal Deal Set Future Precedent?" (Oregon Public Broadcasting) [3]

"Klamath Dam Pact Released" (Contra Costa Times) [4]

"Klamath Dam Deal Depends on Millions in Bonds" (Redding Record Searchlight) [5]

"Utility Agrees To Removal of 4 Klamath River Dams" (Los Angeles Times) [6]

"Landmark Agreement to Remove 4 Klamath River Dams" (Greenwire) [7]

"W.Va. Meet Led To Klamath Dam Removal, Salmon Aid" (AP) [8]