Klamath River Dam Removal-JC Boyle 2024

JC Boyle dam 2024. Dam was blown open on Jan 17, 2024. This edit is from the JC Boyle Dam heading up north into Klamath River canyon towards Keno.
I didn’t make it down to CopCo Dam yet, soon to come!

[@flytyer60]

Used to work on all those dams - love your footage - keep up the great work

[@MarkDeChambeau-lo1rt]

I'm semi addicted to these dam removal videos. It's as if, with each one, an arterial blockage is being removed and the world's circulatory system is moving more efficiently. The question, in this case for me is: How long after each removal does it take for the silt buildup to move downstream and how long before the river runs clean again? Furthermore, do fish die off for awhile as the water silts up? I can't help but think that there's probably a certain - perhaps a great - amount of pollution which must be dealt with.

[@fallencobra5197]

Yes there is a massive fish die off but in a couple weeks plants will bind the soil and he sediment will be deposited

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

There will be a few ugly short-term sacrifices to be made for amazing long-term well-being.

[@ResortDog]

And the planet will spin faster with the water in the oceans where it belongs

[@Chuck1284-]

@@fallencobra5197 LOL - "in a couple of weeks", that's funny.

[@koholohan3478]

Wait until you get into a beaver reintroduction hyperfixation...like me lol. Beavers are absolutely amazing and have too many benefits to count. Their dams are good lol, unlike these ones.

[@johnkilty5091]

Thank you. Great views.

[@Korina42]

Great video, thanks. When you get a chance, and the weather cooperates, it'd be interesting to go to the mouth of the river to see what's going on. It should be building a delta; there may not be anything to see yet, but then maybe there is. Cheers!

[@Swordfernsteve]

I have seen videos on the undamming of the Elwha River that show the growth of a delta. Might scratch that itch until the Klamath has been undammed.

[@mitchellmaytorena1137]

This was absolutely beautiful. Please bring us more drone footage of the transformation!

[@KirkMaxson]

Keep the footage coming!

[@joyyawilliams]

Thank you for doing this

[@jamesducey2685]

Salmon and other fish do have a voice. It may not be easily heard while it speaks water world wonders.

[@tboettge2]

Great job on this video thanks for sharing

[@MarkFirehorse420]

God bless all those who made this happen. And blessings to all the tribes that live along the Klamath. From the Yahooskin Band of the Snake Indians, to the Modoc, Klamath, Shasta, Hupa, Karuk Tribes, and the Yurok Nation, it has been a long fight. I have happy heart. A "free flowing" Klamath River is almost a reality.

[@jasonardans4092]

Wow there is hope .so proud to beable to witness this in my life time

[@aevanhoutte]

Can’t wait to see what grows back in the “new” floodplains. Will they be able to keep the tamarisk at bay? I hope you will do periodic fly-overs to keep us updated. Good footage!

[@jeffvw1994]

So crazy that they didn't put in salmon ladders when these dams were built.

[@MrFun222222222]

Fish ladders could have been added at any time, like even last week.

[@DrMediterranean]

Too expensive according to the Army Corps of Engineers

[@charlesdeilke8364]

They had ladders and fish transport already it wasn't good enough for greenness . It was never about the fish.

[@matthewbeasley7765]

@@DrMediterranean The Army Corps had nothing to do with these projects. The were built by COPCO, who merged with Pacific Power.

[@matthewbeasley7765]

@@MrFun222222222 The issue isn't with the ability of the fish to get through the dams. Its that the upper Klamath lake adds nutrients to the water. The Klamath basin farms add more. Then it goes and sits in the reservoirs in the hot sun and grows algae really well. The water becomes too hot and toxic to support the fish. What's worse is it prevents the salmon from getting to the pristine streams that drain the Trinity Alps and the south side of the Siskiyou mountains. The fish go belly up part way to the Salmon River and never make it to that stream.

[@KennyWatson-mu9to]

I Live along the upper Klamath River! And its A sewer now! Its killed everything living in the River. When will it come back from this. How many decades Will it Take. I hope they really know what they are doing. They can't turn back now. Hopefully the toxic Sediment will clear when we have a Major Flood. 😢

[@koholohan3478]

You should check out the dam removals that happened a decade ago on the Elwah River in Washington. It had to digest a century of sediment, something like 2 Empire State Buildings worth of sediment. A storm came through and helped. It shocked the researchers how rapid it did it. It was the marvel of dam removal, biggest ever, until now. Be patient. Short term bummer for a long term benefit. Also, it will build many square miles of river estuary. This will build so much habitate. And soon, many more old dams have to come out across the country. Many are past their lifespan, repairs become more than cost of removal, some are collapsing, like recently 2 did in Michigan, miraculously not killing anyone. I would love to be there on the ground, see before, during the process, and after. You have the ability to witness a lot of great history.

[@guybrown8971]

7.35 interesting shot...one bank lined with thick almost overcrowded woods..the other bare rock and a few trees...

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

North aspect vs South aspect. The North aspect is in the shade most of the day, so it holds more water and is cooler and holds more moisture. The South aspect gets more sun, so its hotter and drier most of the day. Pines and firs prefer cooler, moist conditions to grow.

[@ronduff4325]

We need food more than dams . AWESOME

[@markshuford450]

Nice footage of water flowing through the rapids, carrying the sediment downriver. Now, when are we going to see actual video of the dam structures being demolished and hauled away? Until then, putting a title of "Dam Removal" on these videos is deceiving.

[@tclems]

I appreciate your feedback! 🙌🏻

[@johnkilty1419]

@markshuford450 Not deceiving! The entire project is called the Klamath Dam removal project. After the water levels drop this year. The will begin the demolition of the dam structures.

[@terryclemens4740]

Awesome!

[@NorCalNeel]

I love the music, it makes me think something great has taken place . Play in the same music I can see the salmon and steelhead coming up the river in millions.

[@DurJanJ]

Can you possibly make a video on copco1? Also love the footage

[@tclems]

As soon as the roads dry out a bit I plan on getting down to CopCo and filming

[@DurJanJ]

No problem

[@peterhicks3516]

Hi, Can I confirm that all four dams have not been "drawn down"? Does that mean salmon can now fully access all of the river? Have salmon been sighted upstream of the JC Boyle?

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

Salmon won't start migrating upstream from the ocean until late summer early fall. That's why they chose this time of year to begin this project.

[@timclemens7806]

Nice work

[@billbassett887]

Can we see some video of the breaching and the drawdown ..... watch the bathtub draining

[@kenhorne5650]

Hope you can film the salmon run next time

[@robertbailey116]

Is the Keno dam slated to be removed?

[@tclems]

Not that I’m aware of

[@kenhorne5650]

Love to see the salmon free

[@timclemens7806]

By the way i like the dramatic music

[@tclems]

Glad you like it, Bruh 😉

[@lag9765]

In the years to come the Klamath dams will be nothing more than a bad memory...

[@DavidJones-ly9bh]

Work with nature..!

[@frankanddanasnyder3272]

So how much non-polluting hydro electricity was lost?

[@johnkilty1419]

Any lost power production was easily made up with solar or wind. The dams were outdated and inefficient. Put out about as much power as a 6 acre solar farm produces over the same period of time. Yes! They factored in night time.

[@user-ps7yj1ir6b]

Its not non-polluting, did you not see the damage!

[@willyjones3720]

Good luck to those towns downstream. The flooding should be devastating.

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

Hey Willie, none of those dams ever supplied any sort of flood control! You don't know what you are talking about! All of those dams were always full. A full reservoir cannot provide any flood protection. Get a clue!

[@slabriprock5329]

Not a problem since there are no "towns" threatened by flooding. The dams were for hydro power not flood control. They were obsolete and the owners chose to decommission them.

[@johnkilty1419]

The dams never controlled flooding, nor were they built for irrigation. Hydro power is all they did. The has been no flooding from the drawdowns.

[@orgcoast5990]

Will fish have a clear path to the Williamson River?

[@Oldg425]

Hell no.

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

Yes. There will be no barriers. Steelhead and salmon will have access to the Williamson, Sprague and Wood rivers.

[@orgcoast5990]

WOW! Will wonders never cease. Great news.@@georgehaydukeiii6396

[@Oldg425]

You are a dreamer.

[@billstoys8324]

Great videos of the Klamath River. Please try and take videos a couple of times a month so that we can see the progress made on the river. I don't live in Klamath Falls anymore and would love to see more. I am curious to see the amount of water flow when the Salmon make their runs. In late summer I don't think that it will be much.

[@tclems]

That’s my plan, but the weather up here has been less than cooperative lately. Once we get some “spring weather” I’ll be back out!

[@johnkilty1419]

Salmon run in the Spring and the fall. Not late summer. They will not travel up river until there is enough rainfall to fill the streams and creeks.

[@MJ-zo5gb]

Dammit! 😝

[@KennyWatson-mu9to]

Now there going to make a Flood come In March????

[@johnkilty1419]

A flood? Why would there be a flood? It is now April. So far no floods.@KennyWatson-mu9to

[@mrasmrguitar]

at aroud 5 minutes the music made think comfortable get comfortable ..lol.. cool,,now the salmon can return to there place

[@jamesbrown-hl9if]

All of the footage is from below the dam...? The river looks just as it has for many years during the high water of spring runoff except it's laded with silt. Where's the footage of Topsy reservoir? How many decades will it take for the silt to wash away??? From what I've read, nobody has taken into account the erosion of the silt and soil that will be washed into the river. But, they had to sell it SOMEHOW... Politics above environmental impacts never ends well-it's been proven time and time again. Report back in ten years and prove us wrong. We expect to hear excuses....

[@johnkilty1419]

Not sure what you have been reading. The have had extensive soil and water studies for almost 2 decades. Stop spreading false information. If you had actually read what most of us have read. You would not be spreading bad information. You want to know what is going on at Topsy? Get off face book and go see for yourself.

[@timclemens7806]

Hi Bro

[@user-ps7yj1ir6b]

Trump tried to stop the project until his developers suggested they might be able to build a golf course along the river. His golf course of course!

[@rholtz3068]

What people dont realize they poisioned the river and are going to kill off more salmon for decades to come

[@user-ps7yj1ir6b]

I realize it. What I don't realize is why Corporations aren't required to pay for the damage they create!

[@rholtz3068]

@@user-ps7yj1ir6b because this current damage was crrated by the people who destroyed the dams to quickly like it was done pourpose and instead of shipping the toxic soil away theyre dumping it back into the river we need hold accountable of the people really incharge corparations are just the middle man

[@r.awilliams9815]

Could have done without the dramatic music. I'd much rather listen to the voice of the river.

[@tclems]

Feel free to go visit the river and listen to the voice in person

[@jesseparry6586]

But what you don't see are the dead fish on the bank in Hornbook.

[@jesseparry6586]

@KnowledgeNPerspective So Smolt Chinook doesn't belong there?

[@KennyWatson-mu9to]

Every time it Rains! From now on, the River will be toxic. For years and years. The Scott & Shasta Will never see fish again. What a Disaster!!!!

[@randellgribben9772]

very short term thinking@@KennyWatson-mu9to

[@bigjared8946]

Long term it will create far more live fish. I don't think this is a good faith comment.

[@davidrogers6287]

You could not be more wrong. Check out the Elwha river in Washington. Jesus man, do a little research. @@KennyWatson-mu9to

[@rogerdudra178]

Montana roads aren't any better.

[@foghornleghorn8536]

It looks like a slow draw down would have made more sense. That accumulated silt that was sent down river probably killed everything in the water for miles.

[@matthewbeasley7765]

It was timed to avoid any of the migrating fish. Now the non-migrating aquatic life may have had some issues....

[@foghornleghorn8536]

@@matthewbeasley7765 I was questioning the rate of the draw down not so much the timing.

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

​@@foghornleghorn8536I believe the goal was to get the bulk of the sediment down river, and out to the ocean as quickly as possible, rather than draw out the effects over a long period of time. There are a lot of brilliant scientists working on this project. I have faith in their decisions.

[@jamesducey2685]

Change in reality can never be easy.

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

There are going to be some short-term impacts in order to achieve the long term gains. That is just life. That's the way it is in every aspect of the world we live in.

[@msmeyersmd8]

Why wasn't this drawing down done over at least 2-3 years? How do the farmers and residents of, let's say Happy Camp, CA. Feel about this instantaneous loss of water access and flood protection? Not to mention loss of property access to the water? What will this do to Klamath Lake?

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

You have no clue. Do a little more research. Look at a map.....

[@msmeyersmd8]

@@georgehaydukeiii6396 OK. Maybe I need to do more research. However, I do know that Happy Camp is right on the Klamath River. I was in a HS rock band from Medford that played the Homecoming Dance there in the Fall of 1975. Huge blizzard and I had to drive home. Not my car and pulling a trailer on snow covered roads wasn't fun. We netted ~$25 each. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, I used to hunt along the CA/OR border East of I-5. Just after we exited I5 and passed Irongate Dam/Lake. We could see the COPCO lakes from the road. At that time a beautiful blue. My Dad said it was because of high Copper in the water and there were no fish. Lots and lots of rattlesnakes there. I assumed that these dams helped control downriver flooding at places like Happy Camp. But? Maybe not?

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

@@msmeyersmd8 Copco, Irongate & JC Boyle we're all built for the sole purpose of generating electricity. Copco was built using technology from the late 1800s. Back then fish were no concern because the Klamath was literally full of salmon and steelhead! They saw them as an endless resource. When they built those dams, they built them to develop head pressure to spin turbines and create electricity. That's all they cared about, and they used ancient technology to achieve that goal. All three of those dams drew water off the top of the reservoirs. In order for the turbines to spin, the reservoirs needed to be full. Now tell me, how is a full reservoir going to absorb large pulses of water to effectively prevent flooding? Those dams never provided any flood protection. In fact, when I was working at Iron gate hatchery in the early 1990s, I watched a pretty good increase in flows spill over all three dams. But the river never flooded, it just came up some. The fact is, the electricity produced by those dams is insignificant in today's day and age. It can, and is being replaced by much cleaner sources. When these dams were built, it was a huge screw-up. Because they draw water off the top of the reservoir, and the reservoirs are fairly broad and shallow, the Klamath River got significantly warmer as it cooked in each of the reservoirs. Had they designed the dams to draw off the bottom of the reservoirs, the water would have stayed much cooler. Think of Lost Creek Reservoir on the Rogue. That water is cold all summer because it comes off the bottom of the reservoir. A much better design, especially for fish! The Klamath dams project was an illconceived mess from the beginning! Because of the warm water created by the dams, and the fact that farmers and ranchers around Klamath falls allow literally tons of chemical fertilizer and cow poop to wash into Klamath Lake, and the river, the river turns into a hot, low dissolved oxygen toxic algae soup! Removing the reservoirs will help return the river to something close to its original form. It won't help the fact that agriculture upstream is still contributing a vast amount of pollution, but removing the dams will help. This is just the beginning of a project that is trying to return a healthy salmon run to a river that was once famous for the number of fish it supported. These are the facts, and there are people out there that will do anything to try to discredit this project because they are ignorant and paranoid. I have lived in the Klamath watershed, fished, rafted, camped along, and worked for Cal Fish & Wildlife in (literally) and on this river since 1990. It's my favorite river, and I have been waiting for this to happen for years. I'm thoroughly disgusted, and sick and tired of ignorant, paranoid, misinformed people who have no idea what they're talking about, try to discredit this noble project.

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

@@msmeyersmd8 you might enjoy this presentation about this project. It is by a Bureau of Reclamation representative. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2nUeKOKqduioNksi=QR_mXWx4y9pV7NKk

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

@@msmeyersmd8 here's some reading for you. www.usgs.gov/centers/california-water-science-center/science/klamath-dam-removal-studies

[@michaelbyrne8860]

Oh no, there goes Tokyo Go go Godzilla, yeah History shows again and again How nature points out the folly of men Godzilla History shows again and again How nature points out the folly of men Godzilla History shows again and again How nature points out the folly of men Godzilla History shows again and again How nature points out the folly of men Godzilla

[@tclems]

Blue Oyster Cult 🤣

[@iancanuckistan2244]

The title should read "The aftermath of the Klamath River Dam Removal"

[@braunzie2]

In a time where power is getting more and more expensive, I am astounded that this is happening. I am sure if there is a problem like fish ladders then why not just build them, It would be much cheaper than tearing out a functional power producing dam.

[@brockroberts4258]

They aren’t producing power with these dams.

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

Copco reservoir number one was full of silt and about to fail! It was better to take it down than to wait for it to collapse and flood an entire valley! This project was well thought out.

[@braunzie2]

The point is whether it is power, flood control or irrigation storage, tearing it down costs more than the addition of a fish ladder.

[@adrianramone-ey9hi]

It wasn't just fish ladders they had to bring the dams up to code and that would have cost them more than it would to just destroy the dams tear them down they weren't for nursing that any energy anyways The company already said they can figure out a way to get that energy back some other means

[@jasonwilson1677]

They will love the flash flooding down the river

[@matthewbeasley7765]

Since it is below the Klamath lake that's not going to happen. These dams are not there for flood control, and were never used for flood control. They were 100% there to produce power.

[@msmeyersmd8]

⁠@@matthewbeasley7765 Maybe that's true? But I'll bet down stream towns, river adjacent homes and roads will be flash flooded out fairly often? I hope to live long enough to see the abundant Salmon. And this isn't another boondoggle where MID and Southern California screw over the actual Northern California people and the environment. Will any commercial or private gold dredging or mining be allowed? Other than individual panning. Damn, I hope not. No pun intended. Will any of the silt be carted off to unnamed/secret metals refining operations?

[@ResortDog]

There is no going back now AND no wind or solar to replace the hundreds of MW every hour on demand.

[@adrianramone-ey9hi]

They weren't producing that much energy it was the company's choice to take the dams out because it would have cost them more to make them up to code you probably live in copco lake don't you That's what you're mad about

[@ResortDog]

No. That power can't just "be replaced" Not that it was not a natural disaster for the river. Sturgeon used to breed in Klamath Lake. Actually Im a retired System Operator for hydro electric power to the grid, PG&E Kings River & PP&L. I have a degree from Humboldt & am pretty green, but a realist. Yeah I lived & worked at Copco 2 for a couple years and JC Boyles before the layoff that got me. Watching the hedge funds raid the assets then sell it off debt ridden is why I dumped my Kplan stock as soon as they gave it to me. You cant replace the peaking energy. JC put out 92 MW on demand. I got over being mad with the first precious opal I found ON THE SHELDON NWR. @@adrianramone-ey9hi

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

You have no clue what you're talking about, do you.

[@ResortDog]

No actually. It was lawfare after corporate raiders stripped all the company assets that could have easily afforded all the up grades despite Bidens & Califfornias regulations. IMHO as an ex-resident employee on the river. Pay attention to how the flood inundation maps can be redrawn and insurance denied.

[@Matthew-ld9wx]

My deer got stuck in the mud it was just a yearling and I looked over at my boss and he had his hands over his head and then he dropped him so I walked over and dropped a big rock on the deer apparently he was telling me to pick it up

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

😂😂😂😂

[@doughtr721]

Think about it. We can put a man on the moon, but we can't get a fish (millions) from the bottom of a dam to the white water at the upper end of the reservoir. American ingenuity has been capable of building amazing structures. Creating things that seem impossible that can be good for everyone including Fish. This is the best you can come up with? Remove the dams. What a shallow way to think. Same tactic was used to save the trees. Remember the spotted owl? Now instead of logging and replanting trees, which was a win for everyone, we see vast timber lands going up in smoke. Another big waist. Put your mind at ease! Read Revelations. God is in control of his creation. He will someday heal the scratches and wounds we have put on the earth. Yes, we need to be conscious of what we do and know that God is going to reset earth back to its original design. Thank goodness. Till then, let's use our Inteligent's and wisdom that God gave us.

[@earlelkins9086]

Its disgusting.. another resource just drained.. over f'n fish.

[@dayofthejackyl]

it is absolutely beautiful. This is the opposite of a resource drained. This is a resource restored.

[@jeremycatchings9733]

Thanks for letting us know how ignorant you really are.

[@Retr0racin]

fish have been a resource for thousands of years before that dam was even built.

[@ferdburful6352]

@KnowledgeNPerspectiveRight, because a handful of fishermen screw over thousands of citizens. In 20 years will be arguing rebuilding these dams. Short sightedness gets expensive. These people act like there weren’t any fish in these reservoirs. Congrats. You destroyed thousands of acres of habitat.

[@justinausten1085]

A public resource and a World Treasure restored. We are lucky as Oregonians

[@bulletscreenprinting]

Another sh!T show. WTF.

[@mattsavage]

How so?

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

I think it's you that is a $h!t sHow.

[@guy4698]

such a shame :(