Federal funding will help restore Klamath River’s habitat following dam removal
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today a total of $13,398,211 was awarded to four projects in Oregon that will boost the conservation and restoration of essential aquatic ecosystems and habitat. This federal funding from the U.S. Department of the Interior includes efforts to upgrade fish passages, restore endangered species’ habitats, and reconnect floodplain wetlands.
A large portion of the investment will specifically go toward two projects to support the recovery and restoration of the Klamath River, following the removal of the four lower Klamath Dams—the largest dam removal in U.S. history.
“Our waterways and native fish are the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest, and we need to do everything we can to protect them as climate chaos threatens the permanent loss of our native plants and animals,” said Merkley. “This federal investment will support collaborative efforts to help strengthen Oregon’s lands and waters—including restoring the historic aquatic habitat and ecosystems of the Klamath River following the landmark removal of the four lower Klamath Dams. I am excited to see how these efforts will lead to healthier, more resilient natural resources for generations to come.”
“Oregonians’ ties to our waterways are in our DNA, and these federal resources will help ensure these aquatic wonders keep thriving in every nook and cranny of our state,” Wyden said. “I’m glad the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that I worked to pass continues to support the Klamath Basin and the entire state with long-term and targeted investments like these that both conserve and restore fish populations and other habitat.”
The federal funding comes from the Bureau of Reclamation’s (BOR) WaterSMART Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program (AERP), which was made possible by the landmark Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The historic investments help states, Tribes, and other entities to collaboratively study, design, and construct aquatic ecosystem restoration projects that improve the health of fisheries, wildlife and aquatic habitats.
Details for the Oregon projects receiving funding are as follows:
- $11.5 million for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) to undergo two projects to improve salmon and sucker passage along the Klamath River, which is critical for the native fish to return to historic habitats that are now open after the removal of the four lower Klamath Dams. $7 million of this funding will be used by ODFW to study, design, manufacture, and install fish screens at unscreened diversion points along the Klamath River, which will protect and prevent juvenile and adult fish from entering the canals. The remaining $4.5 million will be used by ODFW to construct fish passage improvements to the remaining Keno Dam—which has a nearly 60-year-old fish ladder that was not designed to meet the current passage of multiple species, including salmon and suckers. For both of these projects, ODFW and BOR convened a multi-agency and stakeholder working group to assess biological investigations and evaluations, build consensus, and select options.
- $974,971 for the Lake County Umbrella Watershed Council to develop restoration project designs and engineering that will benefit the native Chewaucan redband trout across 13 tributaries of the Upper Chewaucan River, near the town of Paisley. This includes actions to replace fish passage barrier culverts, modify irrigation diversions for fish passage, increase aquatic and riparian habitat complexity, enhance rangeland, and restore uplands burned in wildfires that have devastated the watershed in recent years.
- $923,240 for the Freshwater Trust to complete the design and engineering of a project to restore high-functioning, resilient aquatic habitat along a 2.5 mile high-priority reach of the Bear Creek, along the Bear Creek Greenway Trail, near the city of Phoenix. The ecological enhancement treatments, which include reconnecting the floodplain and improving fish passage, will help restore native salmon and steelhead populations, while also improving recreational opportunities and water delivery infrastructure for 1,600 agricultural users.
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