Three dams coming down on the Klamath at once
Demolition of three dams on the Klamath River is currently underway, as the drawdown phase that emptied massive reservoirs wrapped up. This month, crews started taking out Iron Gate and J.C. Boyle. “Frankly, we can see the end of the dams in sight, literally, as they’re coming down so quickly.” said Mark Bransom, CEO of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation reached by phone Friday. Deconstruction of the earthen part of J.C. Boyle, a 68-foot-tall concrete and earth fill dam in Southern Oregon, began last week on Monday. The removal of Iron Gate began May 1, the largest dam out of the bunch at 173 feet tall. Thursday, a dynamite blast on Copco No. 1 took off about 30 feet of the dam — removal of which started in March as the concrete structure allowed for any spring flows to pass over the top.
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