Un-Dam the Klamath

Un-Dam the Klamath (#UnDamtheKlamath) was a social movement in the United States to remove the dams on the lower Klamath River primarily because they obstruct salmon, steelhead, and other species of fish from accessing the upper basin which provides hundreds of miles of spawning habitat. The dams have also significantly harmed Native American communities such as the Hupa, Karuk, Klamath, and Yurok. Four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River in California and Oregon (Copco #1, Copco #2, Iron Gate and J.C. Boyle) were targeted for removal.

The movement to remove the dams gained national attention following the 2002 Klamath River fish kill, when at least 33,000 salmon and steelhead died along the banks of the Klamath upon returning to the river and failing to reach their spawning grounds in the upper basin. The movement argued that the dams should be removed because they create toxic algal blooms, dwindle salmon numbers and create illness in the fish, threaten tribal subsistence and increase health risks for tribal members, and harm the West Coast fishing industry. Seven species of fish are threatened by the dams. The dam removal has also been cited as economically beneficial.

Opposition groups included local landowners around the reservoirs created by the dams and companies like PacifiCorp. PacifiCorp initially agreed to dam removal in 2009, yet after a decade of negotiations pulled out of the agreement when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) stated that they should take responsibility and pay for the removal, rather than simply walk away, as had been agreed upon by all parties. Support groups claimed environmental racism and classism as reasons stalling the dam's removal. The Copco #2 dam was removed in 2023, and the Iron Gate Dam began demolition in May 2024. The final dam was fully removed in October, 2024. It currently holds the record for the largest dam removal project in the world, and restored access for fish to their historical cold-water habitat.