What Happens When You Remove a Dam

[@TheB1M]

Skip the waitlist and invest in blue-chip art for the very first time by signing up for Masterworks - www.masterworks.art/theb1m

[@jjc2896]

No! Bad B1M. Masterworks is a questionable sponsor.

[@jgeur]

@@jjc2896 right up there with crypto, nft's, and tulips.

[@mr.boomguy]

@@jjc2896 I would like to hear your opinion on why. I'm just curious, not reprimanding

[@fourutubez7294]

Ponzi scheme in a pseudo intellectual wrapper

[@lljkgktudjlrsmygilug]

You had this video in your folder for quite a while and realized now was the perfect time to play the algorithm, didn't you?

[@alexandermallinckrodt2847]

I think Russia’s just conducted the world’s largest dam removal, actually.

[@Madridista789]

@@Zuluknob Ruzzia.

[@michelbruns]

@@Zuluknob yes, ukraine destroys its own infrastructure, risks the live of thousands of its own people only to make russia look even worse than it does already

[@Wanderlauch]

@@Zuluknob 🤡🤡🤡

[@mancuniangamecat8288]

@ zuluknob don't be so gullible. 🤡

[@SomeKidFromBritain]

Too soon

[@garytrawinski1843]

I like the way you show a decaying salmon in the water like the dam cause it. The fish die after they spawn.

[@Sennmut]

Sshhh!!!!! No need to obscure things with facts!!!!!!

[@richardmcleod1930]

Maybe the waterscould redirected toward Portland and flush out the filth now so prevalent in the City.

[@David-rx5eo]

They can do that with the Willamette and Columbia rivers.

[@mylifeintexas]

It’s cool, we don’t need water, we can do without. The electricity produced can be replaced by cutting down large patches of forest and replacing them with solar and wind energy. Honestly if we want to save the planet we need to go back like it was in the year 1492 when everything was natural and everything was green.

[@vectorm4]

What method/ source is replacing the power? What was hydro-electric, what is the new power source?

[@neondemon5137]

The Russian Army knows a thing or two about taking down a dam.

[@harrygroundwater2590]

😂

[@EdilbertFernando]

"Break the dam, release the river!"

[@smgdfcmfah]

Water shortages. Hydro shortages. Push to increase electricity usage exponentially. What a perfect time to tear down dams that create reservoirs of fresh water and power. There has to be a better way to fix the fish problem than to destroy the infrastructure.

[@toni4729]

Salmon must have been really missing out in the USA and Canada, not to mention the rest of the world. Where the hell are they breeding now?

[@SirOpinesALot]

Ecoterrorists at work saving the fish but making every KWH cost a larger percentage.

[@K4JESUS88]

Amazing work with dam removals 💙💙🌏🌏🌏

[@toni4729]

Curious to know what's going to replace the power situation there after the dams are gone?

[@due51outdoors]

Thanks, Jeeves.

[@ross82]

17 trillion? Oh, the good ole days

[@DerEchteMarzel]

3:39 Why is Hamburg (Germany) shown in a video about American dam demolition??

[@Joso997]

Do all dams eventually have to be removed? How are they going to decommission massive dams like the Three Gorges Dam?

[@timmystwin]

You drain it over a very long time til it's holding no water, then remove it. Re-route the supplying river if you have to. The only danger is the potential flooding but that can be resolved.

[@smallcat848]

most dams are just continuously maintained if they'e considered useful & the resources are avalible there are still dams in use from like 1900-1900 years ago

[@JustinJamesJeep]

Not all dams but these dams were destroying a local ecological powerhouse. Some dams like these that were built without any climate research cause huge problems for their ecosystems and need to be removed. Others like the Hoover dam have created more ecosystems than they've destroyed and won't be removed (at least not for these reasons)

[@steven4315]

All dam collect silt. When they silt up they lose their usefulness. This can take a long time. For instance, Lake Powell silts at 37,000 acre feet per year, but it holds about 24 million acre feet at full pool.

[@Joso997]

@@steven4315 24 million AF?

[@MikMoen]

Dams, Coal Power Plants, Interstate Freeways etc are all infrastructure concepts from a time period where we thought we were solving our problems with absolute disregard for long term consequences. Hope we're learning our lessons fast enough to turn things around.

[@David-rx5eo]

I want my flying car so that I won't need those pesky freeways.

[@MW-xm1rc]

I can tell you what happens, the people up stream LOSE THEIR LAKE FRONTAGE and more than half the value of their property!

[@Loggjamm]

Watch the film damnation by Patagonia to learn much much more!!!

[@klein648]

3:03 "No dam project of this size has ever been torn down" - Well there was a massive dam project that has been torn down in record time just a few days ago. Rip Nova Kakhovka dam

[@MrRorySteel]

Rip Nord stream. America the antagonist as usual.

[@mla2385]

not to think about what toxins are buried in these sedidemts over the decades which are now spilled over the fields. Don't think they can plant any crops there very soon

[@seregiel9541]

​@@mla2385 Trust me, the decrease of fires and increase of salmon stock are worth far more. Plus lack of water hurts agg and in OR often hydrodams, fish, and farming are fighting over it. This removes one of the competitions to long term benefit of the farms.

[@EddieBurke]

Inb4 orcs in the comments

[@robertmusil1107]

Good one

[@GeekyMedia]

This video has obviously been in development for a while (like most of the B1M vids I’d imagine). You can’t just create a video like this in a day. Also, last weeks video was on the creation of a dam/reservoir - this is like the other side of that. Either way, great work The B1M 👍

[@Mrbfgray]

Meanwhile in Ukraine....a dam is removed overnight.

[@RamonInNZ]

@@Mrbfgray 😞

[@Locutus]

Most professional KZbin videos take about a week to produce. This video would have taken a week or two to produce, although little bits of it might have been produced months ago.

[@Church_Of_Kloppism]

​@@Locutustry months not weeks lol. Some of these take months to make

[@Locutus]

@@Church_Of_Kloppism Lol, lol, lol, lol. Soooo sooo funny. Lol.

[@hrimfaxi1]

Who came here to see dam removal ?

[@MrLense]

Bro really timed releasing this video with this specific topic on top of current recent events

[@mr.boomguy]

My thought too. But I bet they've had planned this video for weeks beforehand. So I'm sure it's just unfortunate coincidence

[@hoponlopo8690]

This is The World's SECOND Largest Dam Removal

[@brunor832]

Dark humor at its finest, I dig it

[@bigtxbullion]

Spontaneous

[@gomahklawm4446]

I don't get it. American meme?

[@Pasta_Pirate]

@@gomahklawm4446 no a Ukrainian & Russian meme.

[@Knight_Kin]

@@gomahklawm4446 Someone blew up a large damn along the Dniper river, it's unclear who did it.

[@gregessex1851]

Ironic timing given the destruction of the dam in Ukraine 🇺🇦 today.

[@bananan7]

yesterday though

[@GeekyMedia]

Probably been creating this video for weeks. Last weeks video was also on a dam / reservoir

[@mr.boomguy]

@@GeekyMedia I'm glad someone wrote basically the same thing I just did

[@vadimveskreb8764]

@@GeekyMedia maybe the b1m can predict future?? oh no

[@lljkgktudjlrsmygilug]

Ironic? This video was probably released to play the algorithm.

[@robertoenduro9439]

Call the ruzzians, they will take them down in no time...

[@harrygroundwater2590]

😂

[@FIGHTTHECABLE]

So no dams, but grid stability? I don't see this working.

[@nighthiker8872]

THIS IS THE NEW, NEW SCIENCE! THE ONE THAT SAYS "GOT YET" again !

[@N911GT2]

You can just call Russia they will do it cheaper and faster...

[@snedzy1506]

Lol my first thought

[@kevinbrown4892]

I do hope we are going to follow this story in the upcoming years.

[@Nionix123]

Look up the Elwha River Damn removal

[@kevinbrown4892]

@@Nionix123 Most informative, thanks.

[@lohengrin5082]

It’s certainly a big damn problem

[@jdsd_]

yeah, lets remove all dams because of the nature and then get huge floods and electricity shortage

[@davidlrogers]

@@jdsd_ literally nobody said that we should, bozo

[@dandandandandanJr]

While this is interesting, I notice he doesn't really go into the benefits of keeping the dams. Klamath has very short bursts of rain fall and some snow pack. Avoiding flooding is important in the area with the sandy soil, and spring the local agriculture industry throughout the long dry summers would be extremely difficult without the dams. That's not too mention the about of cheep power that the dams produce. Why is there no discussion of the benefits of keeping the dam?

[@metjetfan23]

90,000 dams? In the US? Would never have guess that.

[@thomashiggins9320]

Yeah. We spent decades in the late 19th and early 20th centuries building them. Some should always remain -- most of the Tennessee Valley Authority dams need to stay right where they are, as do the ones on the Colorado River. But others -- such as these along the Klamath River, have filled with sediment to such an extent that they have limited utility (and so shallow they cause the algae blooms), and we're a lot more aware of environmental concerns.

[@Zantides]

It's all sorts of sizes though, from hoover dam to beaver dam. I don't know if they count beaver dams 😂

[@jayspeidell]

The US used to have higher taxes and less military spending.

[@Tutkanator]

It's closer to 200,000. Only 30,000 are inventoried

[@Knight_Kin]

@@jayspeidell The US had no income tax during the period these dams were built. Don't make up stuff you clearly know nothing about.

[@michaelg250]

And lets all remember these are the same people that say fossil fuels are going to kill us and ruin the whole planet but lets get rid of our best renewable energy sources.

[@furripupau]

With predicted water shortages coming in the near future I do question if the fish are the more important consideration here.

[@leonkernan]

I was expecting a Ukraine video for some reason

[@mr.boomguy]

Me too for a sec. But that's Way too quick for content creators with this style

[@snarkymoosesshack8793]

@@mr.boomguy Yeah, ""creators"" like this need time to spin the narrative properly to rope in the NPC's.

[@brandob9]

I first paddled the Klamath almost 20 years ago, and even at that time the uselessness of these four dams was plainly evident from water level.

[@scottjohnston6768]

do you use electricity?

[@brandob9]

@@scottjohnston6768 I do! But these dams are very easily replaced by a few wind turbines and solar panels. 18 MW of capacity is 4-6 wind turbines now.

[@jimperdue6166]

@@brandob9 I moved to this area 4 years ago, so I am learning the ins and outs of the issue of removing these 4 dams. Clean energy is a goal of not only CA, and the US, but around the globe. Removing the dams removes a source of clean energy. The reservoirs (water) are used for domestic use, farming and sometimes for firefighting. CA has seen the number of devastating fires grow, esp. over the last few years. My family was evacuated from our home last summer because of a wildfire. I know from personal experience the hardship created when our domestic well went dry, two years in a row. Water is a huge deal, not only in CA where I live, but in the southwestern states. Water storage and clean energy are being removed along with the dams. Plus, the property value loss to homeowners who live near the reservoirs, with no compensation from the government. This issue was put before voters and the result was 60-70% of voters want the dams to stay. Ignoring the voice of the voters is a violation of the constitution. What is going to happen to the Klamath River in an extended drought, and there are no reservoirs to release water to help the fish survive? So no, I don't think this is a great idea to remove the dams. And yes, the salmon and other species are important, esp. to the two native tribes who live here. There's got to be a better way.

[@TheMasterofComment]

​@@jimperdue6166as the dams actually contributing much to electricity generation if they're below useable water levels most of the time?

[@jimperdue6166]

@@TheMasterofComment I don't know if that is true or not. Even if it were, CA and this area have water problems. Plus wildfires, the reservoirs can be used to help firefighters do their job.

[@jaymzgaetz2006]

It doesn't have to be expensive...mother nature will do it for free.

[@investmentmaker2887]

Dam! I'm here early.

[@spooky.-]

I don’t think removing renewable energy from the grid when we need more desperately is a smart idea.

[@CraigGrant-sh3in]

It's being replaced by much less environmentally damaging green energy

[@sammythompson3694]

Sure it is.

[@mikkelkirketerp4884]

It's a brilliant idea to finally see the havoc these dams wreak upon the natural habitats. Then we can always generate that power in a better way, like nuclear.

[@sammythompson3694]

We have a nuclear plant near us and pay 8.5¢ watt. Those near the Smokys with hydroelectric pay 5¢ watt. Say what you want about bird killing windmills or habitat stealing solar farms green energy won't be enough to electrify the country.

[@mikkelkirketerp4884]

@@sammythompson3694 thats still incredibly cheap! We usually pay 35-45US cents pr kWh here in Denmark.

[@aikulovekitten6501]

When they built the dam, the river was rerouted. Why not make a route for the fish....catch 2 fish with one hook 😮

[@guilhermetavares4705]

It seems stupid to me to demolish dams when the United States consumes so much energy from polluting sources. I am proud that most of Brazil's electricity comes from hydroelectric plants.

[@sashakimknechtinruprecht]

In which way is the energy these dams produced replaced? How were they operated in terms of power production? More like peak hour supply or more on a base load pattern? I am not an electric power expert, but I know that in terms of wind- and sun-based power generation it will be important to have complementary possibilities to fill in gaps in windless times with lack of sunny weather.

[@melvinice5727]

Finally someone who has common sense!👺

[@robertball3578]

With the push for electric vehicles of all sizes, and elimination of natural gas, it seems like a bad time to remove power generation until the replacement is in service. Don't fall the coal fired power plants already shut down.

Hope they won't solve it in the German way!

[@MTNGear]

Oil and gas have been lobbying hard for the removal of hydro power

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Nope🙃 They just increased interstate imports natural gas and coal fired generation from the upper midwest.

[@JimmyN48]

Just think about what it would be like without even drinking water. I know you can just call Sparklets, Dasani or some other regional bottled water.

[@jfmezei]

Can't remove a dam when the new water level is being used by towns and farmers upstream. They would then need to rebuild their water source. Properties values as "lakefront" properties would now become "hillside" properties far from water and pretty sure owners would need to be compensated. In such cases fish ladders are far more cost effective. With the accelerating change of climate, it may not be wise to remove dams that help buffer unpredictable massive rain vs drought periods.

[@leeroberts1192]

How many coal fired power stations will be required to replace the hydroelectric power output of the dams that are being removed?

[@eily_b]

None. Other dams take over

[@skyfeelan]

not the masterworks sponsor 😭😭

[@rd9102]

So what are they doing to replace the power lost from these 4 damns?

[@eily_b]

Like they said in the video. Easily replaced by other dams

[@rd9102]

@@eily_b Until the "other" dams are at max capacity and then what? Oh sorry we don't have power for you anymore...

[@steveevelyn5175]

Being able to provide all my needs without the help of the Government is really a dream come through and I’m getting $20,000 returns from my $7,600 investment..

[@steveevelyn5175]

@Sheldon Bernard This is all thanks to Mr Jeff Clark. I invest with him and have made a lot of money investing with him

[@채은우CHAEUN_WOO]

I heard a lot of investing with Mr Jeff Clark how good is he, please how safe are the profit

[@scrumpy615]

@Jack Paker I just sent him a message now. With all the recommendations I've seen here, I'll definitely give it a try.

[@bababababababa6124]

Russia's technique is far more effective

[@danylolazarenko5720]

So you think killing animals and people is "effective"?

[@harrygroundwater2590]

😂

[@KyleRobinson-qk8oc]

​@@danylolazarenko5720 yes.

[@heidirabenau511]

And quicker!

[@JonathonV]

Wondering about where they’re going to be getting their energy from. If it’s from fossil fuels, that isn’t exactly an environmental improvement. Maybe they’ll just buy more from BC, who produces 93% of its electricity from hydroelectric dams.

[@Gummmibaer]

Thats a valid point, but I guess your assumption might be right: This area doesnt seem to have a shortage of hydropower. And the video even says these dams were not running at their maximum a lot of the time. The big advantage of hydro power is that (normally) its running constantly. These here seem to have major problems with so I guess they werent profitable or really efficient anyways.

[@justicedemocrat9357]

Elon will be providing lithium batteries.

[@smallfgb]

Yes - seems like a bad idea to remove dams when we can’t make our climate change goals. This is about as shortsighted as countries in the EU turning off their nuclear plants. Seems by their actions many environmentalists don’t believe climate change is real. Solar and wind will not replace the generation from this. Hydro and nuclear are the only carbon free means to balance those techs with reliable 24h production.

[@smallfgb]

@@Gummmibaerreally hydro can be run like a big battery - one that doesn’t require mining and replacement every 20 years. If you let water build when solar/wind are working and run water down the turbines as those energy sources are not present, this balances without requiring natural gas generation (which loses efficiency being turned on/off too). Not being 100% on doesn’t remove the value of this for a balanced carbon free grid. In fact some dams pump up off peak and allow rundown on peak to balance grids. Ironically, I think CA plans to build one like that soon.

[@slizzysluzzer]

These are all tiny little insignificant dams. Iron Gate in California only has an installed capacity of 18MW for example. Your average newly installed wind turbine has an installed capacity of 3MW for reference. So at most replacing Iron Gate in terms of capacity is six newly installed wind turbines. Of course installed capacity isn't actual power generation and both wind and water plus actual electrical grid demand can fluctuate, but the point is, these aren't massive energy sources no matter how you slice it. And note that wind turbines are getting bigger and more productive all the time - the largest offshore models these days get up to 15MW per unit so it's coming to a point where even a single wind turbine would supersede this dam. When you couple that with the downstream consequences of keeping these relatively insignificant, inefficient, old hydroelectric dams in place (algal blooms, erosion, water usage concerns etc etc) it becomes a far more cost-effective solution just to tear them down than to keep them maintained when other renewables are getting better by the year.

[@BuzzSargent]

Since these are reservoirs. People are getting their drinking water from these reservoirs behind the dams. How are they going to replace this drinking water to the homes?

[@BuzzSargent]

@@johnperic6860 A reservoir this large will be difficult to replace for the homeowners. It's important to care for the people who live here.

[@gong1616]

Times change and we have now applications on our phones unlike before. We got software that makes it possible to recycle electricity from active devices plugged in a wall socket.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

The government will just start rationing water. 🙃 A certain politial party loves artificially enforced energy and resource scarcity.

[@David-rx5eo]

@@gregorymalchuk272 everyone must buy electric cars that you won't be able to charge up!

[@gaivscaesar]

Thanks for another great video buff architecture man

[@leegoddard2618]

I'm all for the restoration of the environment. I went up to the Elwah, after that Dam was removed. My Only question is. How are we supplementing these losses. Now with all the EV and banning gas stoves and heating. Time to get a wood stove I guess. Set up my own little watermill for power. 🤷

[@gregorymalchuk272]

They didn't. They just increased coal burning in the upper midwest. 🙃 Anti human environmentalists are agaisnt ALL industrial civilization including nuclar and hydroelectricity, not just coal, gas, and oil.

[@David-rx5eo]

Wood stoves, and fireplaces are being banned.

[@leegoddard2618]

@@David-rx5eo They gotta catch me. I mean literally.

[@klburroughsnz]

Green energy projects being removed & to quote "the energy generated could easily be replaced" - yeah right!

[@paulsmodels]

A dams main function is to store water in areas that are prone to regular drought, and in particular, areas with a large population with large water needs for drinking, cooking, bathing, and growing crops. There are certain by products if you will, from building large dams. Some are positive and some are negative. There has to be a sustainable balance between human needs, and the flora/fauna of the area that is impacted by the dam. In our society today, that balance is off because certain groups believe that their agenda is more important, and maintaining a balance is not important to them. It's tha same problem with our forests. Mega fires happen because the forest is "out of balance"thanks to certain groups that feel their cause is more important than everyone elses.

[@David-rx5eo]

Let's remove the humans and leave the dams...lol.

[@LPM147]

My fellow Californians... Just keep all this in mind when you pay what is the most expensive electricity rates in the country.

[@David-rx5eo]

Don't we already? I know my electricity rates have gone up a lot.

[@pavelmyshov464]

Ok, I understand, the Salmon habitat. But with what kind of electricity sources these dams will be replaced? Hydro power is CO2 neutral, while US still doesn't have a lot of Nuclear or Solar power plants

[@matthewmattchoo6621]

Next up will be everyone whining about the skyrocketing cost of power ( pacific power anyone?? ) blackouts / brownouts, and a new Nuclear Power plant being built...

[@pavelmyshov464]

@@matthewmattchoo6621 Nuclear power plants are great, we should definitely build more of them

[@lolly166541]

Being CO2 neutral doesn't equate to being environmentally good. Your EV, may be as a car itself relatively co2 neutral, but the production is everything but that, maintenance etc isn't either. Same way as Solar is also horrific for the environment, simply because it can't be recycled profitable, meaning it'll just rot and bring toxic shit in to the ground. What we have to focus on is becoming good for nature, that means rebuilding nature to its natural way AND bringing Civilization back to a more in touch way.

[@simsreject5925]

​@@pavelmyshov464The West Coast is also removing its nuclear capacity. They're trying to replace the hydro with wind to mixed results. A lot of people want to move much of its hydro out to sea by transitioning tidal generators.

[@pavelmyshov464]

@@simsreject5925 hydro cannot be replaced by wind, because hydro is a base generation, it produces electricity 24/7, while the wind is unpredictable and produces electricity at random. Nuclear can replace hydro, but we dont see much of it either. Overall, its pretty weird to reduce amount of energy produced by carbon free sources while we all try to fight climate change

[@jantschierschky3461]

Well, as a water management specialists, I see issues. Removing the hydropower and water storages could backfire badly. Water quality and sediments can be managed easily, if those engineers and others ever listening. To me a fish ladder is the best option and claiming is more expensive than dam removal is bs. Lates fish ladder technology is simple and cost-effective.

[@Ruhrpottpatriot]

What would you then do about habitats that are not all year round wet or dry and rely on the changing of the water level to function?

[@jantschierschky3461]

@Ruhrpottpatriot Well is a different story. There are management options. All is a trade-off. However, hydropower and energy storage are especially important for the future, especially with solar and wind power.

[@Knight_Kin]

@@jantschierschky3461 Solar and Wind are peak load power systems which has no correlation here. Hydro is suppose to be baseload. However, these particular dams apparently run at such low capacity they don't generate much electricity. Looks like it's more of a case of these dams are so dilapidated they would need major investment to reconstittue them and thus the fish ladder in that scenario isn't as practical as you claim. Just look at the designs of these dams, where would you put a fish ladder? It would have needed these designs from the outset, you're wrong about it not being expensive here because you're talking about in general, not specifically these dams. It doesn't take an expert to look at these designs and go yeah i'm sure it's a simple fix. Dude really? Infinite resources scenario: yes it could be done: real world scenario: it's far too costly for the benefit when it only addresses one of numerous problems. The US has blocked too many rivers over the years back when there wasn't any possible way to know the long term impacts. Just because you have a reservoir doesn't mean it's quality water, in fact it's the opposite there it's become backed up with toxic sludge and algae. Only a GOOD QUALITY source of water is useful as a reservoir, if it becomes tainted then it's a huge burden, not a benefit. These dams need to go.

[@jantschierschky3461]

@Hatchete well that why I said pump storage. The sediment is 70% organic, so it can be easily biodegraded. I do that for a living. Some dams should be removed, but many should remain.

[@jayspeidell]

The fish ladder solution also has to factor in the maintenance costs of keeping an un-needed dam in that location.

[@LuigiMordelAlaume]

This dam video showing all these dam projects is crazy. Might be time to go on a dam road trip and see these dam structures.

[@Max-lz5ym]

Is this a shortened copy of the video by sustainable northwest from 2 month with the only value added being the sponsorship?😂

[@Zuiker1]

Link?

[@Max-lz5ym]

@@Zuiker1 kzbin.info/www/bejne/oomXmIyAaM2cmbM

[@Knight_Kin]

Nuclear could very easily replace these dams.

[@David-rx5eo]

Not in California, because they would never allow that, at least not in my lifetime.

[@captainamerica3814]

The folks downstream need to be prepared for future flooding events. 🤔

[@thehoundGOT]

Flooding happens on every river in the world, it's a natural cycle. Don't build or buy in an area that is at risk of flooding

[@captainamerica3814]

@@thehoundGOT Absolutely, it's just that those dams were originally built to control flooding. btw, I'm glad to see them go. Hopefully, the salmon fishery will improve.

[@David-rx5eo]

@@thehoundGOT that would require some intelligence.

[@vanguard9067]

There are so many under-engineered and unsafe smaller dams, we should expect an increasing rate of dam removal during the following decades.

[@deus_ex_machina_]

When it comes to safety weirs are considerably more dangerous, more numerous, and much cheaper and easier to remove.

[@vanguard9067]

@@deus_ex_machina_ very good point. I don’t think,they are mutually exclusive projects. I would hope that governments and stakeholders prioritize all projects to achieve the most safety, economic, cultural, and environmental benefits .

[@deus_ex_machina_]

@@vanguard9067 Indeed. I neglected to mention that weirs were more dangerous for those traversing the river, whether swimming or in a canoe/kayak, but they don't pose a flood risk for downstream communities like larger reservoirs do. It also depends on how much you care about ecological damage. A native tribe might come to a very different conclusion than a mining company, on that front. Engineering is a matter of balancing trade-offs, after all, and the US is in for a gargantuan effort repairing and replacing its crumbling infrastructure. The only way to take decisive action while also balancing stakeholders who have competing or even opposing demands is to price in the 'externalities', an example would be a carbon tax. The other option would be to let AI decide, but even that would merely perpetuate our biases in the weights given to the various trade-offs.

[@vanguard9067]

@@deus_ex_machina_ I figured that’s what you meant about weirs. I pictured one in my head on the Potomac River used to ensure the necessary level to feed the Washington, DC water system. Seems every couple of years someone gets trapped (or worse) there. Yes, a gargantuan effort, one for which I am not sure the public understands the necessity. I hope the money spent will evaluate/incorporate e sustainability in project planning, design, construction, and maintenance. Think as long-term as feasible. Ah externalities, so often overlooked, ignored, hidden in unfettered capitalism. I am still shocked that most of the US environmental statutes and regulations were put in place during the Nixon administration, with strong support from both parties. It is hard to imagine that level of agreement now. As one portion of my career, I performed siting analyses and environmental impact assessments, finding that applying weighting on top of ranking of the analytical criteria, resulted in a false sense of accuracy and precision. AI would first need to learn that lesson to be at all useful, but in practice a single person or AI can’t deliver a good result. I prefer a mini-Delphi approach, during which the challenge is identifying the right people to participate. I learned so much from those people, as well has fun doing the work. Have a great day and a nice week.

[@r.d.9399]

The more they remove the better. This is great news.

[@igormurzov1863]

Maybe I'm stupid, but why demolish a huge concrete dam if you have to divert a stream to a new channel first in order to start deconstruction? Just let the water flow through the new channel and abandon the dam without demolishing it.

[@terrific804]

The new channel will have to be tens of miles long to make up for the change in elevation

[@IceHauler]

They can't abandon it. If you do so it's going to collapse and cause huge damage to the river and everybody next to it.

[@ElDJReturn]

Thanks for covering my state! This is quite an impressive project!

[@wileycoyote556]

It's also an absolutely insane, irresponsible destruction of low-carbon energy infrastructure that we will regret for generations.

[@Clove_Parma]

@@wileycoyote556 There are methods of low carbon energy production that don't destroy fish populations and habitats. That said I reckon they should keep hydro in the mix until there's enough solar and wind power to justify removal without putting pollution targets backward

[@wileycoyote556]

Wind and solar don't replace load-following electricity capacity, they don't even provide base load capacity. You can build as much as you want and it won't replace these dams, ironically the best type of storage for wind and solar is hydro storage. Wind and solar also use a massive amount of land and have a detrimental effect on many species of animal for this reason (and others, for wind.)

[@thomashiggins9320]

@@wileycoyote556 These dams are so full of sediment, after 100 years, they've nearly reached the end of the useful lives anyway.

[@wileycoyote556]

Throwing away infrastructure without replacing is not the answer to issues with extended maintenence. Multiple strategies exist to address sedimentation in dams, tearing it down is not necessary and no expert source that I've seen has stated that it is. Oregon won't replace this power with wind and solar, in fact the primary fuel source among east Oregon utilities is coal.

[@PaulItem-n5h]

DamNation 2014 - Great documentary about US dams and their removal.... A touch old but holds up.

[@KIMTAEHYUNG-ny3xi]

Can you please make a video about Mullaperiyar Dam located in Kerala, India. It's a 130 year old dam which is unsafe. If it blows up 5 districts will be in danger. I am talking about the lives of 5 milkion oeople.

[@iztrix]

I would love to see you going back to this project for the water unleashing when the projects are ready for it. Would be a great followup video with some fun shots of loada of water 😊

[@Winter-n7l]

We've been doing this in Washington state for some years now, really amazing to see after the dam is gone.

[@herzogsbuick]

the issue is fulfilling an "intended purpose" of course those dams are! it's the unintended consequences that are realized with time

[@michaelmontgomery5141]

Abalone fishing was greatly diminished after environmental laws were implemented in the 1960’s. This created an enormous turn around in Pacific Ocean ecosystem along the California Coast. As evidenced by increasing sea otter population et al. Salmon provides the same foundation for ecosystems all the way into Idaho. We are part of this ecosystem and I wish to play the role of gardener as opposed to conqueror (manifest destiny).

[@ersp1]

Something that many people don't realize is that the spawning fish are an important nitrogen (fertilizer) source in the watershed. The animals catching the fish or scavenging their carcasses distribute the nitrogen embodied in the fish protein on land by both scattering scraps and urinating after eating.

[@Luddite-vd2ts]

I can only pray that Ethiopian officialdom sees this and reconsiders its project to dam the Nile.

[@leegoddard2618]

The human has become a terra former rather than a gardener.

[@philtucker1224]

@@Luddite-vd2tsThose people are desperate for ways to provide energy and assist them in developing their societies. Hydro electricity is usually considered a good way to reduce dependency on coal fired power stations if the local geography is suitable. I guess there are other options though so what are your thoughts as an alternative? I’m asking respectfully.

[@philtucker1224]

Removing good hydro electric power sources seems a very bad idea?

[@johnmilovich2195]

The Condit dam on the White Salmon river in OR was removed over a year without incident.

[@justicedemocrat9357]

I heard that since the condit dam was removed fifteen thousand ppl around the area mysteriously died of an unknown illness.

[@NatureShy]

That's in WA, not OR btw

[@alibarron7558]

We still have no more fish and unfortunately no electricity, only taxes. White Salmon drains into the Columbia, which is the Boundary between Oregon & Washington. A lot of what affects people on one side, also affects the other.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

And they're now missing 14.7 megawatts of clean electricity that has been replaced with expensive natural gas firing. 🙃

[@Shinkajo]

​@@alibarron7558if you have no electricity, how are you on the internet then?

[@GDon141]

The stupid thing is millions of dollars are going to spend for "native restoration". If they didn't touch anything there would be native plants growing there within a week. What a waste of taxpayer's dollars for that part of the project

[@bigfish222]

Without removing the 2 dams immediately upstream of the JC Boyle Dam I don't see how this project will change conditions much.

[@liamwinter4512]

It makes their tummy's feel warm after they pay each other's backs.

[@jfletch09]

both Keno and link river dams contain fish ladders. Additionally, neither of these two dams were ever the main drivers of the toxic algae blooms that have devastated fish populations.

[@bigfish222]

@@jfletch09 Yeah the ladders should help some, but Upper Klamath Lake has routine blue green algae advisories where people shouldn't swim in the lake.

[@stormelemental13]

@@bigfish222 That is true and primarily a result of fertilizer runoff. The dam removal should open up habitat in the stream below the Keno dam and potentially in the areas above Klamath Lake. Even when there are toxic algae blooms in the lake itself, the rivers that feed into it remain quite clean. Not sure whether this is all worth it, but it should allow fish access all the way up into the upper tributaries.

[@abrahambarr8736]

I grew up in Siskiyou County (where the dams are) and now live in Klamath Falls. I did some survey work for one of the restoration efforts as well. People have been arguing about this project since I was a kid so its pretty cool to see it get featured here!

[@jakemon4550]

Mean while my electricity bill......

[@allenkramer2143]

With all due respect to the commentary. I believe there is a misunderstanding. As stated in the beginning, these Dams no longer serve the purpose they were built for. No one is suggesting every Dam should be taken out.

[@justinkraus1687]

Going through a drought “let’s take the dams down” make sense to me

[@iRiShNFT]

American debt is 31 trillion not 17 trillion

[@Shorkshire]

So where does the replacement electricity come from?

[@b08m4rt1n]

Sitting here waiting for 50 years from now when this video is about the solar farm land and waterways being reclaimed. The men that built these dams thought hydro power was the way and not harmful to the environment. The same way people think solar farms are not harmful to the environment, when they clearly are.

[@petterbirgersson4489]

Solar farms are built in a way so that they will be easy to dismount. That's by design. It's far from being as costly and dramatic as tearing down a dam.

[@David-rx5eo]

@@petterbirgersson4489 maybe, but solar and wind farms are unreliable and damage the habitat.

[@eschudy]

So, exactly how much money do the dam removals save? And over what time period? And does it take into account replacing the electricity for 70K homes with as much reliability?

[@Sacto1654]

That's why they'll never dismantle the O'Shaughnessy Dam inside Yosemite National Park. It would cost way too much money and the loss of water storage and power generation will cause even more problems.

[@fakesnow]

Cost of maintenance over decades vs one time removal? Many dams have deferred maintenance that can no longer be ignored. Resevoirs behind dams fill up with sediment and greatly reduce their capacity to hold water, their primary function. The ecological impacts of dams are also devastating to river systems

[@Sacto1654]

@@fakesnow The O'Shaughnessy Dam is not a small dam. It would be enormously expensive to drain the lake, remove the dam, restore the land behind the dam, raise Don Pedro Dam 35 feet downstream, build new water aqueducts from Don Pedro Dam and build new hydroelectric power plants at Don Pedro Dam. The cost could be over US$25 billion, if they're lucky!

[@Pasos1Two3]

They don't save money or help the people who live in the areas. Dams help with water storage, power creation, and flood control. Removing them isn't about prioritizing the environment as flooding can cause enormous environment, social and economic damage. So a better question is why are governments and organizations pushing this agenda?

[@tbird81]

It's like Germany getting rid of its nuclear plants and replacing them with coal.

[@bird175]

Once these damns go it will be impossible to get approval to re-dam the river, at a time where hydro is an important part of clean energy against global warming. I wonder if these same environmentalists would be happy with a nearby nuclear station.

[@makarevych]

Absolutely nothing wrong with nuclear powerplants.

[@raduorghidan5308]

nuclear power is much cleaner than hydroelectricity in so many ways: from concrete/Kwh of energy produced to sqm/Kwh, to how it affects rivers (thermal pollution at most from nuclear) vs habitat destruction and eutrophication for hydropower

[@gregorymalchuk272]

​@@raduorghidan5308Perhaps, but these dams are amortized (both financially and embodied carbon) and the electricity is virtually free.

[@robbob8629]

So 10% of salmon goes down, you remove 4 dams? And then say getting the electricity once produced can be easily replaced? How? This is hilarious.

[@Zuiker1]

It would have costed more a year to maintain the dam and reduce the environment damage, so thats why they are doing it

[@JanSanono]

Interesting timing

[@massmike11]

Switch to electric cars. Shutdown and destroy all the hydro. Oh yea lie about the fish numbers to get your way. And don’t have any plan to replace the power assets or the lost farming water. And don’t forget flood control

[@Bob-jn8gt]

Yeah but when more floods suddenly start happening they can blame it on climate change as an excuse to limit the economic activity of the middle class.

[@MadridWalker]

Awesome video, thanks for sharing! Happy week to everyone! 😊😊

They will miss this amount of energy from the grid soon. And all of this just because of a few salmon. Congratulations!

[@David-rx5eo]

The dark ages in California, because we won't have enough electricity for our lights, and they want all cars in California to be electric!

[@Frenchylikeshikes]

Dams were build everywhere in the past. We are now in a time when many smaller, obsolete, dams are actually removed, and many smaller rivers are finally being restored.

[@svenlima]

Thank you for the informative video. However: This video suffers of the disease of many youtube videos: superfluous and annoying background music. It's tiring attending to the narration over the background music, masking the topic of the video and mostly adding nothing to the content. Narration or music is fine but one on top of the other is distracting.

[@iscmiscm]

At least the music has NOT got the wobbly tape sound that seems to be the trend just now.

[@svenlima]

@@iscmiscm I don't care which music it is. I want to hear either the narrator or music but not both on top to each other!!

[@chrisandrew74]

I believe the estimated maintenance costs exaggerated and the environmental cost/benefit to have been skewed . I suspect hidden motives behind the dams proposed destruction

[@jackdbur]

To get these small hydro dams up to an acceptable standard would cost far more than they generate.

[@antred11]

Present your evidence then.

[@CraigGrant-sh3in]

Yes because everything has to have a conspiracy behind it.

[@TommyOnTheRun]

I think once you remove the dams nature will heal quite quickly.

[@CompuBrains27]

More salmon and respecting natives is always a good thing. I am concerned about the removal of renewable energy in an area that seems to not have enough power period, and removal of reservoirs when droughts are the new normal. I hope the replacement power is not produced via fossil fuels.

[@pavelmyshov464]

It will be produced via fossils most likely, US doesn't have a lot of solar nor nuclear

[@LucarioBoricua]

So long as other renewables gain traction, as it seems to be the case with solar and wind; along with further energy efficiency gains in countless activities, the lost hydropower won't be missed from a lot of these locations.

[@TrainMasterMan]

The load is going to be placed on the nearest fossil fuel plant and they are just going to pick up the load. In a few years, they will have justification to expand. Look at the electricity sector in the states, hydro is dropping and fossil fuels are rising, while other renewable generating stations are staying the same. So are removing these dams really that beneficial, or would building fish ladders and other means to help fishies spawn a better alternative?

[@MayaPosch]

The US is looking to invest a lot more in low-carbon nuclear power, both large reactors and small ones (SMRs). Quite a few states are interested in TerraPower's Natrium, as it is excellent at load-following. They're siting such plants mostly at the locations of (former) coal plants, to reuse the existing infrastructure. Replacing these invasive and harmful dams with Gen IV nuclear plants seems like a net win.

[@pavelmyshov464]

@@MayaPosch thr question is about priorities. We have to replace fossil fuel energy with carbon-free energy as soon as possible. Demolishing hydro power doesnt help with this objective

[@trouble97018]

While not the Klamath, you might want to check out what happened when they took down the dams holding back the Elwha and the Sandy Rivers in Western Oregon. We have salmon again!!!

[@R.-.]

Meanwhile California suffers regular droughts and energy blackouts. Somehow I doubt demolition is cheaper than building a fish ladder. Ulterior motives must be in play. As an engineering professional do you ever question these reports, or just passively repeat their conclusion?

[@harvey1965]

I think Vladmir must have got early access to this video ...

[@billwhite1603]

Let's take back 100 years of comfort and modern living for a few fish. Go to the market, buy some fish. Let's tear down green hydro power and use 20 year life toxic solar panels by the millions.

[@David-rx5eo]

Make sure there are not very many cloudy days, and that hail does not hit your solar panels.

[@advladart]

Damn

[@GeorgeZ213]

Many dams have fish ladders and bypasses for the fish If too many dams are demolished, electricity rates will skyrocket. Plus, more 'dirty' electricity generating plants will need to be created.

[@andromedach]

so much environmental damage during removal it will take decades to recover from it and while the electricity can be replaced it is how it is generated that becomes important. plus salmon are not the only animals and fish that use the river and lakes so many other specie may be impacted by their removal.