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California tribes celebrate historic dam removal: ‘More successful than we ever imagined’ (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Summary

The removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River, completed in October 2023, is the largest dam removal project in U.S. history. The dams had blocked salmon migration, disrupted ecosystems, and worsened toxic algal blooms for over a century.

Decades of advocacy by tribal groups, environmentalists, and locals led to their removal, marking a significant environmental milestone. Early recovery signs include salmon returning to the upper basin for the first time in 60+ years.

The project also restored sacred lands to the Shasta Indian Nation and opened 400 miles of habitat for native species.

Challenges like sediment-clearing and climate impacts persist, but stakeholders celebrate it as a model for ecological renewal.

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[–] JohnDClay 8 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Looks like 700Gwh/y, so 80Mw. That's not insignificant. A wind turbine produces about 2.75Mw, so you'd need 30 to just make up the nameplate capacity. But it's probably actually twice to three times that amount, since hydro is very consistent, and wind isn't. Need to add on batteries for storage too.

http://www.klamathbasincrisis.org/settlement/articles2010/howwillpowerbereplaced120310.htm

https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-many-homes-can-average-wind-turbine-power

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

In the GW range batteries aren't a great storage solution. At that point you're basically sitting on a bomb with that much chemical energy storage. Before you get into all the losses from having to temperature stabilize the system. The most efficient/preferred solution is an artificial reservoir. Pump water uphill when you have excess power, run the generator when you need power.

Dams also aren't permanent structures. There's been a growing concern for awhile now about dams being managed by financial entities. Because local governments couldn't/wouldn't run them after their expected lifespan ran out in the 80s/90s they were seen as a reliable investment. Especially if you cut costs. On a dam basically the only costs to cut are maintenance.

Dams being decommissioned instead of failing is a better strategy.

[–] JohnDClay 1 points 2 days ago

Pumped hydro seems like it'd have even worse ecological concerns than a dam since you'd need to make a high up reservoir. But hopefully it can be much smaller to even put the peaks in wind power, rather than generating the power directly?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 days ago

Thanks for addressing this concern I guess it's not a bad thing after all I've changed my mind