Removing Four Dams from the Klamath River in California

1961 Iron Gate Dam: (Satellite)

1925 Copco 2 Dam: (Satellite)

1918 Copco 1 Dam: (Satellite)

1958 J.C. Boyle Dam: (Satellite)

The following two are not part of the removal plan.

1966 Keno Dam: (Satellite) Used for irrigation instead of power and has a functioning fish ladder.

1921 Link River Dam: (Satellite) Controls water release from Upper Klamath Lake and has a functioning fish ladder.

safe_image for The rebirth of a historic river
The largest dam set to come down on the Klamath is the Iron Gate Dam, standing at 173ft (53m) high (Credit: Dave Meurer)
The removal of four dams in the Klamath River, California, will be the largest dam-removal project in US history.

The simultaneous removal of the four dams, with a combined height of 411ft (125m), makes it the largest dam removal project in America’s history, according to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, the nonprofit tasked with overseeing the dam removals. It is also set to be the most expensive, at a cost of almost $450m (£340m). [bbc]

All that verbiage about fish and they don't even give the names of the other three dams. The generating capacity of the four dams is 8% of 2,208 MW or 177 MW. But it doesn't rain year round in California. The average daily output would be much less than this. (In fact, it is about 2 GWH per day. And the capacity is actually 169 MW. [pacificorp-projectacificorp-project]) So the loss of hydropower is probably not a big deal. (I finally came across a reference that specifies both households and watthours. Since 2 GWH is supposed to support 70,000 households, that means a house consumes 28 kwh per day. As a sanity check, I use about 17 kwh/day and ComEd does flag us as an efficient user. So I now have the conversion factor that a typical household uses 28 kwh/day) Another source puts the projects capacity at 154 MW. [KlamathWaterQuality-project]

But the article doesn't say anything about the dams helping California's chronic water shortage. How much water is pumped out of the reservoirs to slake California's thirst? And how prone is the river to flooding? In a LA Times article I found "They are not used for irrigation, they are not managed for flood control, and none has 'fish ladders,' concrete chutes fish can pass through." (Actually, looking at the satellite image, they did build a fish ladder. But I can believe it doesn't work because the channel to the ladder is practically dry.) Given the length of the article, the BBC reporter should have explicitly said they don't supply water nor do they control floods. If the article had said that, most of the Facebook comments should have never happened. People just assumed that California would not allow water to simply run into the ocean. But that is what it does, it just happens to make a little electricity on the way.

KlamathWaterQuality-locations

The J.C. Boyle Dam...produces more than half of the Klamath River hydroelectric project's power and nearly four-times as much power as any other dam on the river....

The key to J.C. Boyle's power potential is its design. The powerhouse is four miles downstream from the dam. A concrete canal and metal penstock carry up to 2,400 cubic-feet-per-second of water down the Klamath River Canyon and through a hillside. Rushing downhill through the penstock the water gains kinetic energy, which turns two turbines at the J.C. Boyle Powerhouse.

The J.C. Boyle Dam is proposed for removal in the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement. Some have said it should be excluded from the agreement because it produces the majority of the power and already has a fish ladder.

The dam provides no flood control or irrigation water.

[HeraldAndNews, paycount 10]

HeraldAndNews, paycount 10

If you pan to the right, you can see that the people in the BBC article complaining about toxic blue-green algae is valid. I've never seen so much algae on a dam reservoir before. Yet in both the above photo and in the satellite image, the left gate is spilling water. So the river has algae when there is a decent flow in the river.

Satellite

Note the tunnel entrance in the upper-right corner of this excerpt.

Removal of Hammel Woods Dam from the DuPage River in Shorewood, IL

(Satellite)

safe_image for BOARD TAKES ACTION THAT WILL LEAD TO HAMMEL WOODS DAM REMOVAL

"The Hammel Woods Dam was built in the 1930s by Civilian Conservation Corps workers. The 4-foot-high concrete and limestone dam was built to create a pool of water for recreational purposes during a time when the DuPage River had a much lower volume of water than it does now." In the past, some people objected to the removal for sentimental reasons. But now people recognize the river and safety benefits of removing a dam. The final piece of the needed funding came February 2019 from a wastewater discharge permit for the City of Naperville.[ReconnectWithNature]

I saved a satellite image since it will be changing.

Satellite

The article said that the DuPage River has five dams. Since I didn't know about this one, I spent some time looking for the other four by starting at the mouth and going upstream.

I knew of the dam near the mouth of the DuPage River that was built for the I&M Canal.

Was this one of the five?

Satellite

Then I found this Hammel Woods Dam.

The relatively new storm retention dam is the other one I knew about. Note that it does not obstruct a normal flow of water in the river. It stops only an excessive flow to reduce the flooding in downtown Naperville..

I wonder what the story is concerning this stone rubble.   Another dam remnant?  I know that Naperville used to have a dam for a mill because that is what founded the town. But I don't know where it was.

Another man-made constriction.  And another

This former dam has already been breached.

I quit looking at North Avenue because it is not much more than a drainage ditch this far north.

Since I didn't find five existing dams, I did a quick look up the East Branch to the Hidden Lake Forest Preserve. I didn't find any dams on that stretch.

Update:

People visit the DuPage River dam at the Hammel Woods Forest Preserve in Shorewood last Thursday. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)
"In Will County, forest preserve commissioners Thursday approved contracts to remove a dam on the DuPage River where a young couple drowned last year. The dam, located in Hammel Woods Forest Preserve in Shorewood, was constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The project involves removal of the 4-foot-high dam and an adjoining concrete structure, placing rocks and boulders in the river stream, stabilizing the bank and building a new canoe and kayak launch area.
The total cost is estimated at about $455,000. The Lower DuPage River Watershed Coalition, a group of local governments aiming to improve water quality in the area, plans to fund most of the cost from fees paid by Naperville in 2019 when it got a new wastewater discharge permit."

There is a NWS hydrologic metering station here.

FloodStageBook, p24

FloodStageBook, p24

safe_image for Dangerous Hammel Woods Dam Finally Getting Removed, July 6, 2021

safe_image for DUPAGE RIVER WILL BE CLOSED IN HAMMEL WOODS AS DAM REMOVAL WORK STARTS JULY 12

July 30: 10 photos
How exactly do you safely remove a dam? Well, it's a bit of a process and that's currently playing out at Hammel Woods. Crews have been busy installing a coffer dam around the existing dam. That coffer dam will block off the river and then the area inside will be dewatered to create a dry and safe working environment. This project has resulted in closures near the work area. Get all the details on the closures and this project >>> https://bit.ly/37mRXGR. [I would think they would fill in the upper dam to stop the flow before they built the lower part.]
Tom Romanowski: I still don't even know why the had built it in the first place.
Brad Brooks: Tom Romanowski when it was built in the ‘30s, the water levels on the river were lower. It was put in to create “pooling” for recreation upstream.

Facebook
It's been a bit of a process so far, but the removal of the Hammel Woods dam has begun. After most of the water inside the cofferdam was pumped out, crews started working on removing a portion of the dam this afternoon. Work will continue on Wednesday and once this section of the dam is removed, the entire process will play out again on the other side of the river. It's also worth noting that those massive barriers, fencing and signage pointing out that this section of the preserve is closed is not merely a suggestion. People continue to enter the construction area. The lower section of Hammel Woods is closed for a reason; this is a work area with heavy equipment coming in and out. Why risk getting a ticket to see the activity when we're providing updates like this?
More on this project >>> https://bit.ly/37mRXGR.

safe_image for YOU'VE HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT THE HAMMEL WOODS DAM PROJECT, SO WE HAVE ANSWERS

FPDoWC posted four photos with the comment:

It sure has been a busy week at Hammel Woods and lots of progress has been made on the dam removal project. Today, you can see that the new kayak launch — which is just south of the dam — is taking shape, with the concrete walkway in place. Crews continue working on the cofferdam installation on the west side of the river around the remaining section of the dam. Once the cofferdam is complete, approximately 100,000 gallons of water inside it will be pumped out to create a dry working environment. Why are we doing this project? Will it affect the river levels? When will the project be done? We have the answers to all your dam questions here >>> https://bit.ly/3jNVS5g.

(Photos by Chad Merda)

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safe_image for FORMER HAMMEL WOODS DAM SITE REOPENS FOR PUBLIC USE

safe_image for A STEP-BY-STEP LOOK AT THE HAMMEL WOODS DAM REMOVAL

Screenshot

The Dam Project at Hammel Woods

The dam at Hammel Woods is gone and now that the dust has settled, it's a perfect time to take a look back at this project, which was funded by the Lower DuPage River Watershed Coalition. The dam’s removal will result in a significant positive impact on the health of the river for years to come.

[If you want to see the removal itself, I suggest you skip to 4:14. This video is more about why than how the dam was removed, and thus it has a lot of talking head action.]

safe_image for WHEN THE RIVER WALL CAME DOWN: VIDEO CHRONICLES HAMMEL WOODS DAM REMOVAL

I'm saving an overview satellite image so that I can tell where it was in the future.

Satellite

I made a trip on Feb 10, 2023, to get some "after" photos. This photo from the bridge provides some context. The parking lot is on the left, the cement ribbon is the canoe/kayak access and the inlet on the right is the mouth of the creek. It had rained most of the previous day so the river was running high.

20230210 2211c

In this Oct 2022 view, we can see the canoe access by the river because it is not under water.

Street View, Oct 2022

While street viewing, I record the water level upstream as well. I did not see any of those rock intrusions when I was there because they were buried under water. The second rock intrusion is about where the dam was.

Street View, Oct 2022

Starting from the parking lot. The bridge on the left is over the creek that empties into the river.

Quite a bit of the canoe access was under water. The dam was up by the "white line" in the trees.

This is the creek from the bridge. These are four of the ducks I saw. Some were just floating down the river.

I think this is where the dam used to be.

I noticed that the water had some turbulence a little upstream of this location. It would be interesting to see what is in the riverbed when the river level is lower.

1909 Shoshone Hydroelectric Facilities on the Colorado River

I rode Amtrak's California Zephyr through Colorado on Thanksgiving, 2019. One of the things I saw was obviously the penstocks for a hydroelectric power plant.

20191128 0742-60+30c

Satellite

From a satellite image, it is obvious that the two light brown penstocks on the left side of the photo above feed the turbines. I don't know what the dark brown penstock on the right is for. The two horizontal "brown lines" is I-70 plus US-6 plus US-24. The lower highway is the eastbound lanes and the upper highway is the westbound lanes. (A couple of "white spots" is glare off the observation lounge window.)

Photo from COLO,23-GLENS.V,1--4 from co0088
4. SHOSHONE HYDROELECTRIC PLANT, SOUTH ELEVATION; TWIN PENSTOCKS AND FOREBAY ABOVE THE PLANT; HOIST HOUSE AND NORTH CABLEWAY TOWER ABOVE THE SPILLWAY TO THE RIGHT; TAIL RACE BELOW U.S. HIGHWAY 6 BRIDGE. - Shoshone Hydroelectric Plant Complex, 60111 U.S. Highway 6, Garfield County, CO

Street View from the upper (westbound) I-70+US-6+US-24 lanes

Street View from the lower (eastbound) I-70+US-6 lanes

17. Photocopy of photograph (original print at the Public Service Company of Colorado, Shoshone Hydro Plant Collection, Glenwood Springs, Colorado) Photographer unknown, Circa 1935, cropped

18. Photocopy of photograph (original print at the Public Service Company of Colorado, Shoshone Hydro Plant Collection, Glenwood Springs, Colorado) Photographer unknown, Circa 1935, cropped

19. Photocopy of photograph (original print at the Public Service Company of Colorado, Shoshone Hydro Plant Collection, Glenwood Springs, Colorado) Photographer unknown, Circa 1940, cropped

It is a run-of-river plant that generates 15mw using two units. [Xcel] The intake diversion dam was built just east of Shoshone Falls.

Satellite

As I have seen in other places, the "falls" appears to be a rapids.

11. SHOSHONE INTAKE DAM, VIEW TO THE NORTHWEST. RESTROOM BUILDING AND STEAM CLEANER BUILDING ARE SEEN BELOW THE WEST SPAN OF THE BRIDGE; HOIST HOUSE AND CABLEWAY TOWER APE ABOVE CENTER. - Shoshone Hydroelectric Plant Complex, 60111 U.S. Highway 6, Garfield County, CO, cropped

12. SHOSHONE INTAKE DAM, VIEW TO THE NORTHWEST. WALKWAY ABOVE DAM ON THE LEFT; GATE HOUSE TO DIVERSION TUNNEL BELOW EAST BRIDGE SPAN; HOIST HOUSE ABOVE CENTER; TRANSFORMER AND SWITCH RACK ON THE RIGHT EDGE OF PHOTO, cropped

The above shot of the dam was cropped and exposure corrected. I thought it would be interesting to show what the raw version of the previous photo I took of the dam looked like. I took this one as soon as there was a break in the treeline, as did the person beside me.

Note that the gates are closed. It is no surprise that November would be a dry season for the Colorado River. I had noticed that the flow was almost gone in the river. When I noticed that, I said out loud "Where did the river go?" which was rather embarrassing. I took a photo of the very low flow in the river. The train was going rather slow through Glenwood Canyon, but a tree did manage to sneak into the foreground of this photo.

I took the photo below because of the bridge. But I now understand that we are seeing the upstream part of the 245' dam on the left. And the river is going under the bridge into 16'8" wide by 13' high diversion tunnel that was dug 12,450' through the mountain to the penstocks. The dam was originally built with bear trap gates, but they proved to be a maintenance problem so in 1930 they were replaced with four tainter gates. The dam also has flash boards that are believed to be part of the original construction. [historic-structures]

To carry its generated electricity across the state, Colorado Central Power erected a 153-mile transmission line from the Shoshone plant to Denver by way of Leadville, Georgetown and Idaho Springs. A second line ran to Glenwood Springs. About 37 miles of the Denver line were completed east of Leadville in 1907, and the entire line to Denver was finished by late 1908 or early 1909. After rising more than 1500 feet from the canyon floor, the line crossed some of Colorado's most rugged terrain, including Hagerman Pass (12,055 feet), Fremont Pass (11,346 feet) and Argentine Pass (13,532 feet). When it was completed, the Shoshone line was the highest transmission line in the world. Today the alignment remains essentially the same as the original, but the transmission towers have been replaced, and the entire network has been significantly altered. [historic-structures] It has become obvious that their source was HAER-data.

The original transmission line was 90,000 volts. That line has been upgraded to 115,000 volts, but most of the power generated is now consumed on the western slope. This HAER record was made in 1980 because the proposed I-70 construction would have "an adverse visual effect."  [HAER-data]

HAER-data, Map 1

Satellite

As seen in the above satellite image of the rapids and this image of the dam, the river is not always dry between the dam and plant. That is, sometimes the flow in the river exceeds what is needed to fill the diversion tunnel. I checked Bing Maps for river flow. The image of the dam is unusable because it is in the shadow of the canyon wall. But an image of the rapids shows the flow was very low. In fact, it is hard to see where the river is. I include the image at full resolution because Bing Maps would not give me a link.

(The "creating link" comment never was replaced with a link.)

This video shows a heavy flow downstream of the dam.
(new window)


The Moffat Tunnel is one of several diversion tunnels that have been built to carry water from the Colorado River Basin to the towns on the east side of the Rockies. But this power plant has water rights to what it originally could handle, 1250cfs. And because of the age of those rights, it has priority. During droughts, the managers of the intakes to the continental divide tunnels have to reduce their flow so that the power plant gets its flow. Because the plant returns all of its water to the river, these water rights provide water for uses downstream such as drinking and irrigation of peach trees. [HCN] This flow is also helps sustain "an important part of the local economy: rafting, kayaking and fishing." Maintaining a high flow in the river also helps dilute the salt coming out of salt springs, which of course benefits the farmers who use the water for irrigation. In fact, some farmers would like to buy the plant just to get the water rights. 15mw is a drop in the bucket compared to most power plants, but 1250cfs is not just a drop. "But Xcel continues to invest millions in maintenance at the plant and the utility says they have no plans to sell Shoshone or its water rights." [KRCC] The flow also helps save four endangered fish species. [InkStain]