On Wednesday, August 28, 2024, the Klamath River flowed along its natural channel for the first time in over a century.
This major watershed near the California-Oregon border is the site of the largest dam removal project in U.S. history, which neared its end this summer when workers breached the final of four dams that were removed as part of the initiative.
According to the Associated Press, the work was completed just in time to give the fall Chinook, or king salmon, a passageway to key swaths of habitat for their spawning season.
“[Seeing that last dam removed] was surreal,” said Amy Bowers Cordalis, a Yurok tribal member and attorney for the tribe who has fought for the removal of the Klamath dams since the early 2000s. “It was so emotional. I felt so hopeful and so satisfied that we have restored this river. And looking at it you could almost hear the river crying, ‘I am free, I am free.’”
GPRS was proud to support the Klamath Dam removal project with our infrastructure visualization services.
The demolition was completed about a month ahead of schedule. The project is part of a broader national effort to restore rivers to their natural flow and revive ecosystems for fish and other wildlife.
As of February 2024, over 2,000 dams had been dismantled across the U.S., with most removed in the past 25 years, according to the advocacy group American Rivers. Notable examples include dams on Washington's Elwha River, which runs from Olympic National Park to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Condit Dam on the White Salmon River, a Columbia River tributary.
A Changing Perspective on Dams
The practice of building dams has a long history in the U.S. Many were originally constructed for flood control, hydropower, irrigation, or water storage, with the idea that harnessing rivers was necessary to support human needs and economic development. However, as these structures age, many are no longer essential or cost-effective to maintain, and concerns about their environmental impact have grown.
Fish populations have been hit hard by the presence of dams, which often block migration routes and alter the habitats essential for species like salmon, steelhead, and trout. Ecosystems dependent on free-flowing rivers—ranging from riverbeds to wetlands—can also suffer as sediment accumulates behind dams, depriving downstream habitats of nutrients.
In response, the past 25 years have seen a rising number of dam removals, driven by a combination of environmental advocacy, scientific research, and changing public attitudes. American Rivers, a nonprofit organization that tracks dam removals, reports that most of the 2,000 U.S. dams dismantled so far were taken down in just the last quarter-century.
The Push for a Natural Flow: Notable Projects
The Klamath is far from the only river undergoing transformation. The Elwha River in Washington State provides another example of large-scale restoration. Two dams were removed there between 2011 and 2014. The results were striking: salmon returned to parts of the river that had been blocked for nearly a century, and native vegetation quickly began to recolonize newly exposed riverbanks.
Further south, the 2011 removal of the Condit Dam on the White Salmon River in Washington opened nearly 33 miles of upstream habitat for fish. The river, which feeds into the Columbia, saw the rapid return of salmon and other aquatic life after the dam’s removal, becoming a case study in the ecological benefits of restoring natural river flow.
And in North Carolina in 2023, GPRS assisted with the removal of the 98-year-old Ela Dam to reconnect the Oconaluftee River to the rest of the Tuckasegee watershed.
The Broader Benefits of Dam Removal
The benefits of removing dams extend beyond individual rivers. Ecologists argue that free-flowing rivers improve biodiversity, reduce the impact of climate change by enhancing natural water cycles, and provide better flood management than artificial dams in some cases. Rivers that are allowed to flow naturally also tend to have healthier sediment transport, which sustains downstream wetlands and estuaries.
Additionally, proponents highlight how dam removal can reconnect communities to their waterways, creating recreational opportunities such as kayaking, fishing, and hiking along revitalized riverbanks. Restored rivers can also have cultural significance, particularly for Indigenous communities who have long relied on fish populations for food and traditional practices.
From an economic standpoint, removing old or obsolete dams can reduce public costs. Maintaining and repairing aging infrastructure can be expensive, and many small, privately-owned dams no longer generate enough hydropower or other benefits to justify the expense. In some cases, dismantling a dam can cost less than maintaining it in the long run.
Challenges and Controversy
Despite its benefits, dam removal is not without controversy. Some communities remain concerned about the potential impacts on local industries or water availability. Dams that provide irrigation or control water levels for recreation, such as boating or fishing in man-made reservoirs, are often seen as critical by those who depend on them.
Hydropower advocates also point out that dams generate renewable energy, which is an important consideration as the U.S. seeks to transition away from fossil fuels. While some dams are no longer needed for power generation, others still contribute to local electricity grids. As a result, the decision to remove a dam often requires balancing environmental restoration with energy and water management needs.
Another challenge lies in the logistics of dam removal. Dismantling a large dam can take years of planning, requiring environmental assessments, permits, and coordination between multiple agencies and stakeholders. Engineers must also manage sediment buildup and ensure that removing the dam will not cause downstream flooding or other unintended consequences.
The Role of Policy and Public Involvement
Federal and state policies play a crucial role in facilitating dam removal projects. In some cases, the process is driven by regulatory requirements, such as the need for aging dams to meet modern safety standards. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and state environmental agencies are often involved in assessing whether a dam should be repaired, replaced, or removed.
Grants and funding from government programs have also encouraged communities to pursue dam removal. For example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offer financial support for projects that improve fish habitats, including dam removal.
Public involvement is essential to the process, as local communities, environmental groups, and industry stakeholders all have a stake in the outcome. In some instances, removal projects face opposition from residents concerned about losing recreational lakes or changing water access. Public meetings and consultations are often held to address concerns and explore alternatives.
Looking Ahead
As the movement to remove dams continues, the focus is expanding beyond individual projects to more comprehensive river restoration strategies. Scientists and policymakers are increasingly taking a watershed-wide approach, assessing how entire river systems can be revitalized rather than focusing on isolated stretches of water.
Climate change adds urgency to these efforts. Warmer temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns are expected to put additional stress on aquatic ecosystems, making the restoration of rivers even more critical. Healthy rivers with natural flows are better equipped to withstand these environmental changes, providing resilient habitats for wildlife and more sustainable water resources for people.
At the same time, not every dam is destined to come down. Many dams will remain essential parts of the landscape, serving critical functions for hydropower, irrigation, or flood control. The future of river management will likely involve a mix of dam retention, improvement, and removal, tailored to the needs of specific communities and ecosystems.
The growing movement to remove dams reflects a broader shift in how Americans view their rivers—not just as resources to be controlled, but as vital ecosystems that benefit from restoration.
Whether an existing dam needs to come down or a new one needs constructed, GPRS will be there to help keep the project on time, on budget, and safe with our comprehensive suite of subsurface damage prevention, existing conditions documentation, and construction & facilities project management services.
We Intelligently Visualize The Built World® utilizing state-of-the-art technology, including ground penetrating radar (GPR) scanners, electromagnetic (EM) locators, CCTV camera-equipped sewer inspection rovers, 3D laser scanners, acoustic leak detectors, and leak detection correlators. And all this data is always at your fingertips thanks to SiteMap® (patent pending), our revolutionary infrastructure mapping application that’s easily, yet securely accessible 24/7 from any computer, tablet, or smartphone.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What type of informational output do I receive when GPRS provides a utility locate?
Our Project Managers flag and paint our findings directly on the surface. This method of communication is the most accurate form of marking when excavation is expected to commence within a few days of service.
GPRS also uses a global positioning system (GPS) to collect data points of findings. We use this data to generate a plan, KMZ file, satellite overlay, or CAD file to permanently preserve results for future use. GPRS does not provide land surveying services. If you need land surveying services, please contact a professional land surveyor. Please contact us to discuss the pricing and marking options your project may require.
Can GPR determine the difference between rebar and electrical conduit?
Ground penetrating radar can accurately differentiate between rebar and electrical conduit in most cases. We have an extremely high success rate in identifying electrical lines in supported slabs or slabs-on-grade before saw cutting or core drilling.
Additionally, GPRS can use EM locators to determine the location of conduits in the concrete. If we can transmit a signal onto the metal conduit, we can locate it with pinpoint accuracy. We can also find the conduit passively if a live electrical current runs through it.
The combined use of GPR and EM induction allows us to provide one of the most comprehensive and accurate conduits locating services available.
