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<div class=Section1>
<h1><span style='color:black'>Deal to raze 4 Klamath dams<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p class=byline><span style='font-size:9.5pt;color:black'><a
href="mailto:pfimrite@sfchronicle.com">Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=date><span style='font-size:9.5pt;color:black'>Wednesday, September
30, 2009<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><b>In what is being touted</b><span style='font-size:9.5pt'> </span><b><span
style='color:black'>as the world's biggest dam-removal project, an agreement
was reached Tuesday to remove four dams on the Klamath River and restore a
300-mile migratory route for California's beleaguered salmon.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:6.0pt'><b><span
style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#222222;
text-transform:uppercase'>Images<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><a
href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2009/09/30/MNMM19UDKH.DTL&o=0"><span
style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#015660;
text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=64 height=64 id="Picture_x0020_22"
src="cid:image001.gif@01CA41A7.76A52A00"
alt="Thomas Willson, a Yurok Tribe member, fishes in the Klama..."></span></a><a
href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2009/09/30/MNMM19UDKH.DTL&o=1"><span
style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#015660;
text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=64 height=64 id="Picture_x0020_23"
src="cid:image002.gif@01CA41A7.76A52A00"
alt="http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2009/09/29_t/ba-klamath0930_g_SFCG1254264875_t.gif"></span></a><a
href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2009/09/30/MNMM19UDKH.DTL&o=2"><span
style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#015660;
text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=64 height=64 id="Picture_x0020_24"
src="cid:image003.gif@01CA41A7.76A52A00"
alt="Copco 1 is one of four dams on the Klamath River that wou..."></span></a><span
style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'><a
href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2009/09/30/MNMM19UDKH.DTL&o="><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:windowtext;
text-decoration:none'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";
color:#015660'><img border=0 width=7 height=7 id="Picture_x0020_25"
src="cid:image004.gif@01CA41A7.76A52A00"
alt="http://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/utils/plus-green.gif"></span></span><span
style='font-size:7.5pt;color:#015660;text-decoration:none'>View Larger Images</span></a>
</span><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";
color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";
color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<ul type=disc>
<li class=MsoNormal style='color:black;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:
auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;display:none'><span style='font-size:9.5pt;
font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";display:none'><a
href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/30/MN5L19UHGB.DTL"><span
style='color:#015660;text-decoration:none'>Commission proposes dramatic
state tax overhaul</span></a> 09.29.09<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<p><b><span style='color:black'>The tentative agreement was reached after a
decade of negotiations among 28 parties, including American Indian tribes,
farmers, fishermen and the hydroelectric company that operates the dams and
distributes the water. The plan would set in motion one of the most ambitious
efforts in U.S. history to restore the habitat of a federally protected species
if it receives final approval by the parties in December, as expected. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='color:black'>The dams - Iron Gate, Copco 1, Copco 2 and J.C.
Boyle - have blocked salmon migration for a century along the California-Oregon
border and have been blamed for much of the historic decline of chinook and
coho salmon and steelhead trout in the Klamath. Under the plan, the dams
operated by the utility, PacificCorp, would be dismantled beginning in 2020.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='color:black'>The ultimate goal of the so-called Klamath
Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement is to restore what has historically been the
third-largest source of salmon in the lower 48 states, behind the Columbia and
Sacramento rivers. Chinook once swam all the way up to Upper Klamath Lake in
Oregon, providing crucial sustenance to American Indians, including the Yurok,
Karuk, Klamath and Hoopa Valley tribes.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='color:black'>"This is the deal that we have all been
working on for 10 years," said Steve Rothert, the California director of
American Rivers, a national nonprofit river conservation group. "There
were a lot of people who didn't think we could do this, and some groups that
worked actively to prevent it. It's fantastic that we've reached this
spot."<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='color:black'>The groups involved in the negotiations agreed
Tuesday to take the proposal to their various boards and commissions for
approval and then have everybody sign the final document in December.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='color:black'>The project, which would cost an estimated $450
million, is then expected to go through nearly three years of study and cost
analysis before it lands on the desk of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in 2012.
"This agreement marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Klamath River
and for the communities whose health and way of life depend on it,"
Salazar said Tuesday in a written statement. "This agreement would
establish an open, scientifically grounded process that will help me make a
fully informed decision about whether dam removal is in the public
interest." <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='color:black'>Serious talk of removing the dams began in 2002
after a federally ordered change in water flow led to the death of 33,000
salmon in the river.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='color:black'>The effort picked up momentum over the past few
years after devastating declines in the number of spawning salmon in both the
Klamath and Sacramento river basins. The paltry number of fish forced
regulators to ban virtually all ocean fishing of chinook salmon in California
and Oregon over the past two years.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='color:black'>The four midsize dams were built along the
Klamath's main stem starting in 1909, blocking off about 300 miles of
salmon-spawning habitat. The dams warmed the river water, allowing destructive
parasites and blooms of toxic, blue-green algae to contaminate the water. Water
diversions to cities and for agriculture exacerbated the problem, according to
fishery biologists.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='color:black'>The various tribes with rights to the river
have been battling for years to get the dams removed. Fishermen and
environmentalists rallied to their side, but PacifiCorp and farmers along the
Upper Klamath Basin fought the effort and even sought to extend the hydropower
lease.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='color:black'>Some agricultural groups still oppose the plan
out of fear that it would limit irrigation and raise the cost of energy, and a
few claim it is little more than a giveaway to environmental interests, but
most of the stakeholders now at least support moving forward. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='color:black'>"I cannot adequately say how impressed I
am by everyone's ability to put aside their differences," said Craig
Tucker, spokesman for the Karuk Tribe. "There is a long history of not
getting along, of fighting over water rights. Now we are optimistic."<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='color:black'>PacifiCorp has pledged to raise $200 million of
the cost of removing the dams by implementing a surcharge on its customers in
California and Oregon, but the bulk of the money would come from Oregon. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='color:black'>Tearing down the dams is expected to cost less
than making the improvements necessary to comply with the federal Clean Water
Act and Fish and Wildlife Agency regulations, which would require, among other
things, the construction of fish ladders and screens. The utility would have to
get certification from both states under the Clean Water Act to continue
operating the dams, a potentially difficult proposition given the algae
problems.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='color:black'>"We've really looked at this as a business
deal, and we believe it is in the best interests of our customers," said
Dean Brockbank, vice president and general counsel for PacifiCorp. "The
agreement we have now is a collaborative effort, and we believe it beats all of
the alternatives."<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='color:black'>California would raise another $250 million
from voter-approved general obligation bonds. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><strong><span style='color:black'>Coming thursday: </span></strong><span
style='color:black'>Decades after decimating salmon and spurring numerous
lawsuits, Friant Dam will begin releasing more water into the San Joaquin River
- California's second largest.</span><span style='font-size:9.5pt;color:black'>
<br>
<br>
Read more: <a
href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/30/MNMM19UDKH.DTL#ixzz0SbUNA6BN">http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/30/MNMM19UDKH.DTL#ixzz0SbUNA6BN</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron
Leydecker, JcT</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Chair, Friends
of Trinity River</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>PO Box 2327</span></i><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Mill Valley, CA
94942-2327</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810
land</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 519 4810
cell</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net"><span style='color:blue'>bwl3@comcast.net</span></a></span></i></b><b><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org"><span style='color:blue'>bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</span></a>
</span></i></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>(secondary)</span></i><b><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
href="http://fotr.org/"><span style='color:blue'>http://www.fotr.org</span></a>
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