dams

With an El Niño winter threatening heavy rain, the State Auditor warns that California’s aging dams “continue to pose a risk to public safety,” especially in the Bay Area, San Diego, and Los Angeles areas.

Supplemental study will consider new data about dam breaching, which environmental advocates say would restore salmon, steelhead populations.

Officials are still not close to reaching their goal of returning at least 5 million salmon and steelhead to the Columbia River Basin. However, new data shows a positive trend in total abundance of fish in the basin.

The Klamath River dam removal unblocked nearly 400 miles of waterways in a big win for local Native American tribes.

The Klamath River was once a major habitat for salmon, but hydroelectric dams along the Oregon-California border region caused their population to plummet.

Hydropower generated for electricity from Oregon and Washington dams fell to historically low levels last year, and experts expect it could drop further by year’s end.

The Biden administration promises about $1 billion for renewable tribal energy production and work towards restoration of imperiled salmon.

Federal scientists say there is a high likelihood of extinction for 13 Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead runs without immediate attention.