News roundup #8: Dam removal
News roundup #8: Dam removal
The last of four dams comes down on the Klamath River.
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1/ The Klamath River flows freely: Last week, crews breached the final dams along an important segment of the Klamath River, reopening hundreds of miles of habitat for salmon whose populations had plummeted after the barriers were constructed. The largest dam removal project in U.S. history followed decades of advocacy from tribal nations and environmental groups. The removal of the dams — constructed between 1911 and 1962 to provide hydroelectric power — marks a turning-point for managing the Klamath River, which runs from Oregon to the Pacific Ocean. It is not only an end to the barriers but the start of restoration as the river and the salmon that depend on it regain historic ground altered by a century of dams. “A couple years down the road, once the river has been able to repair itself, we'll begin to see healthier fish runs,” Oscar Gensaw, a Yurok tribal member told the BBC. “You can definitely see already the river is starting to do its own thing, and that's the best thing for us – letting the river do what it needs to do, because it knows what it needs to do to repair itself.”
MORE COVERAGE:
Arizona Republic: Klamath River flows free after last dams come down, leaving the land to tribes and salmon
Los Angeles Times: As removal of dams frees Klamath River, California tribes see hope of saving salmon
Voice of America: Tribes celebrate removal of dam, revival of community along Klamath River
Associated Press: Workers breach key Klamath dams, allowing salmon to swim freely for the first time in a century
2/ Where the money goes: Water Asset Management, a New York hedge fund, spent $100 million to buy Arizona farmland, a move that raised concerns about who controls water and speculation about exporting water out of a rural area. The state’s Attorney General, Kris Mayes, released a statement to the Arizona Daily Star: “This is an area that already rightfully believes it has been exploited by international companies. Now we’ve got Wall Street swooping in, to take that water, with an obvious intent to sell it to cities in the (Phoenix) valley so they can continue to grow in an unfettered way.”
The activities of Water Asset Management have been well-chronicled, and it is not the only broker looking at buying water rights in the West. As one Arizona Republican lawmaker put it, the firm is the “poster child of what people are concerned with when people come here to buy water.” Water rights have long been purchased for their value by faraway corporate interests, even when the law seeks to disincentivize speculation. But in a growing West where water supplies are stretched thin by existing overuse and a changing climate, purchases like this raise important questions about how markets work, the costs/benefits, and what protections are in place for existing communities.
There’s a lot to unpack. More to come.
3/ Turning a paved paradise back to a sponge: A few months ago, I was riding the L.A. Metro visiting a friend in east L.A. At some point in the journey, the train went over the Los Angeles River, and I took the photo above of the concrete channelized jungle so embedded in the built environment and imagination of contemporary Los Angeles. But over the past decade, things are changing both with river and how the city views stormwater management. This year, when the big storms came, “the city managed to capture more than 8 billion gallons of it in reservoirs and groundwater aquifers for future use.” That’s from this excellent Jonathan Thompson piece in High Country News looking at how the city is retrofitting its land to capture more water.
4/ Where groundwater is surface water: A California judge ruled that a county has an obligation, under the public trust doctrine, to consider how groundwater pumping effects creeks and fish habitat along the Russian River, the L.A. Times’ Ian James reported. The ruling is yet another recognition of how groundwater and surface water are connected in reality, even if the impacts of pumping on surface water are not always considered in decisions. The executive director of the California Coastkeeper Alliance told the Times that “groundwater and surface water are connected, essentially the same thing, and they need to be managed that way. We really hope this ruling leads counties to be more proactive, to manage the system as a whole.”
5/ On the Great Salt Lake, a mining company pledged to conserve 200,000 acre-feet of water in exchange for tax breaks, the Salt Lake Tribune’s Anastasia Hufham reports. Compass Minerals, which extracts salt and magnesium from the lake — and has for decades — reached the deal after the Utah legislature passed a law that provided tax incentives for mining companies that reduced water usage when lake levels fell. It is the first such agreement, though other mining companies are negotiating with the state, according to KUER’s Macy Lipkin. “This has been six months of negotiations and working to find something that would be meaningful for the lake, but also, that is workable for a company that wants to continue to operate,” a state official told KUER.
6/ California water users could soon face steeper fines for violating orders to curtail water when there is not enough to go around, CalMatters’ Rachel Becker reports. The Legislature approved an increase in fines last week and the new law is awaiting the governor’s approval. The move comes after ranchers ignored orders to curtail water use on the Shasta River, receiving a maximum fine of only $4,000. The new statute imposes harsher penalties and water users who violate orders could be on the hook for penalties of up to $10,000 per day and more depending on how much water they take.
7/ It’s not only the West: The Midwest and Great Plains are seeing more conflict and legal fights over water on the horizon. Harvest Public Media’s Kate Grumke reports on water users and lawmakers looking at strains from climate change and what it might mean for sharing water in the Midwest. They’re watching the Western U.S. both with apprehension (with talk of importing water) and for what the future might look like
8/ What the drought monitor is saying:
That’s all for now. Enjoy the weekend!
And until next time,
Daniel