Salmon will soon swim freely in the Klamath River for first time in a century once dams are removed

For the first time in more than a century, salmon will have free passage along the more than 400 miles of the Klamath River and its tributaries as the largest dam removal project in U.S. history nears completion along the California-Oregon border. Crews will use excavators this week to move rocks diverting water directly upstream of two Klamath dams that have been almost completely removed. The process at Iron Gate and Copco No. 1 will allow water to flow freely in its historic channel, giving salmon a passageway to key swaths of habitat just in time for the fall chinook spawning season.