“Two years after four dams were removed from the Klamath River in 2024 — the largest dam removal project in U.S. history — water quality monitoring shows dramatic improvement. Toxic algal blooms have all but disappeared, dissolved oxygen is up, sediment is moving naturally again, and seasonal river temperatures have returned to their natural rhythm.
Key takeaways
- Toxic algal blooms that once made the river unsafe for people and pets have all but disappeared.
- Low dissolved oxygen, which contributed to fish disease, is much improved.
- Sediment is moving through the river at a natural rate, renewing salmon nesting habitat. New samples are being tested against baselines from 2009 and 2023.
- Spring warming and fall cooling now happen about three weeks earlier, following the river’s natural temperature cycle.”
From Sustainable Northwest.
