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What goes into removing a dam?

While debate continues over whether or not to remove the four lower Snake River dams to help fish, like endangered salmon, in other places, dams are already coming down for a variety of reasons.

Broadcast on:
06 Mar 2024
A view shows the Copco 1 Dam in Hornbrook. The dam is one of a series of four dams along the Klamath River which are part of the largest dam removal project in United States history. Now underway along the Oregon border, the process won't conclude until the end of next year with the help of heavy machinery and explosives.
A view shows the Copco 1 Dam in Hornbrook. The dam is one of a series of four dams along the Klamath River which are part of the largest dam removal project in United States history. Now underway along the Oregon border, the process won't conclude until the end of next year with the help of heavy machinery and explosives.(Haven Daley / AP)

While debate continues over whether or not to remove the four lower Snake River dams to help fish, like endangered salmon, in other places, dams are already coming down for a variety of reasons.

In 2022, 65 dams were dismantled in the U.S., and work continues on taking out the dam system on the Klamath River in Eastern Oregon.

There’s a lot that goes into removing a dam, from the why to the how, as Dr. Steve Clayton can tell you. He’s the senior project manager with Jacobs Engineering Group, and he’s worked on dam removal projects in places like New York and California. He’s speaking to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Boise State on Thursday, and joined Idaho Matters for a preview.