Klamath dam removal analysis progressing; vulnerability of agreements to lawsuits raises concerns

The federal team charged with generating information for the U.S. Interior Secretary about removing dams on the Klamath River expects to churn out key reports within months. At a meeting in Eureka on Wednesday, leaders of that team said that a detailed plan on how the dams would be removed and how much it should cost could be forthcoming within two months. Reports on hydrology, water quality, sediment transport and temperature if the dams are removed versus if they are left in are also being developed, said U.S. Geological Survey Program Manager Dennis Lynch, who is heading up the effort. Another report on chinook salmon production with or without the dams is also in motion, and expert panels on how other species of fish will fare in either case are being convened, Lynch said. All of that information will be gathered and submitted to the U.S. Interior Secretary, who is supposed to determine by March 2012 whether removing the dams and embarking on a restoration and water and power allocation agreement is in the public interest. ”The secretary is very keen that we have a very good science process,” Lynch said. The Klamath Hydropower Settlement Agreement and the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement that are being considered were signed by more than two dozen parties in the basin. In February, tribes, fishing and farming groups, environmentalists and the governors of California and Oregon signed the pacts which call for emoving the dams beginning in 2020. Legislation to implement the agreements is in progress but has not been submitted to Congress...more