As new sources of renewable energy are on the rise, large-scale efforts are being made across the country to remove dams that generate hydroelectric power.
There are more than 90,000 dams across the country, but only 6% of them are used to generate electricity. US Energy Information Administration. Most is used for irrigation, recreation and drinking.
As we move toward a greener future, it may seem contradictory that officials are advocating their removal, but statistics show that while they may be good for energy, they’re no worse for the environment or the people who use them. Whose cultures depend on it.
A symbiotic relationship exists along the Klamath River in Northern California. The Pacific Ocean nourishes its existence and in turn, the river nourishes the people who call its shores home.
Tony Rae Peters is a member of the Yurok tribe, a group that settled along the banks of the Klamath thousands of years ago. For generations, it has been the lifeblood of the tribe, providing spirit, food and purpose to its members as the river has historically hosted the third largest salmon run in the country.
Most days, Peters was on the water to catch them. But these aren’t most days.
These days, Peters and the rest of his men are banned from fishing along the Klamath – their primary food source – because the salmon have been teetering on the brink of extinction for years. A large part of this is due to the Iron Gate Dam, located 175 miles upstream.
“Since Fish’s death in 2012, it has impacted not only me, my grandchildren and my entire family, but all the elders around us,” Peters told Scripps News. “Not enough to feed my family.”
The early 1900s brought a new era of dam building in the United States. At the time, they were engineering marvels that demonstrated human ingenuity by creating electricity, entertainment and drinking water. But they are expensive, and their licensing processes became cumbersome, so as time went on, people started looking elsewhere for energy.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in the late 1960s, hydropower was the only form of renewable energy used in the U.S. Today it is only a portion of the pie as it accounts for more than half of the energy production as wind power alone. Part included.
Add emerging data that shows dams disrupt natural habitats, emit more carbon than previously thought, and pollute rivers and streams, and many dams become barren as companies renew their leases on them. Stopped doing it. Tribes like the Yurok have been feeling those impacts for decades and are becoming vocal.
“During the regular fishing season when we have enough fish for a fishery here, a tribal fishery, there will be docks, boats and a lot of activity,” said Barry McCovery with the Yurok Tribal Fisheries. Director. People will be fishing with nets in an attempt to catch their salmon for the year. …But as you can see, it has fallen on hard times and everything has shut down.”
This has taken us to where we are today because people like Mark Bransom have been instrumental in removing over 2,000 dams over the last 90 years, with the highest number of dams removed in 2017, 2018 and 2019. That number will be one higher next year when Bransom’s crew completes the removal of the Iron Gate Dam, a $500 million project.
McCovery said, “I understand the opposition to this project. There are a lot of people who have lived around these lakes for years who really value what these lakes have to offer.” “But I’m optimistic that we can look forward to a time when a restored river will bring a lot of value and appreciation to the environment that is going to result from restoring some kind of ecological balance to the area.”
There is a symbiotic relationship on these banks: between a river and people.
“Our health – our mental health, our physical health, our spiritual health – is also linked to the river,” McCorvey said. “You know, we’re just building these sideboards, and then the river will go in and work hard and work to fix itself, and as soon as the river starts to fix itself, I’ll be there for the Yurok people. “Hopefully to feel good about it and hopefully there’s some catharsis and something we fix ourselves.”