The largest dam removal project in American history finished today along the California-Oregon border. Four hydroelectric dams along a 240-mile stretch of the Klamath River provided clean electricity, and a lake, to the area’s homes and farms for decades. The river has returned to its natural channel for the first time in a century.  Native tribes, including the Yurok, in the area had been pushing to get rid of the dams for years, claiming they led to poorer water quality and the disappearance of local salmon, a species integral to tribal culture.  But non-tribal residents of the area are upset about the dams being gone — because their once idyllic lake-side homes are now simply on a field. 

Related articles:

• Jefferson Public Radio: Klamath River flows in historic channel for the first time in a century
• The Guardian: ‘The river is free’: historic US dam removal nears completion
• Courthouse News Service: Klamath River and its salmon free-flowing after final two dams breached in California
• Associated Press:  Workers breach key Klamath dams, allowing salmon to swim freely for the first time in a century 
• Lost Coast Outpost: As of today, the Klamath River is flowing free for the first time in more than a century
• California Governor Gavin Newsom news release: Fish are swimming the Klamath River freely for the first time in more than a century