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Open Rivers Initiative
In 2005, NOAA created the Open Rivers Initiative, which provides communities with funding and technical guidance to carry out projects to restore local rivers and streams. The initiative is focused on community-driven dam and river barrier removals, with the goal of enhancing watershed health and fostering sustainable populations of migratory fish such as salmon, sturgeon, shad, river herring and American eel. Open Rivers Initiative projects also aim to improve public safety, enhance community vitality, and economic growth.
White’s Gulch Dam Removal
The Whites Gulch Dam is located on the Salmon River, a tributary of the Klamath River, in Siskiyou County, California, not far from the Oregon border. Whites Gulch sits in the middle of thick vegetation and tree-lined streams, ideal for spawning salmon. The original dam was constructed on the river in the late 1800s; it was replaced by the current dam in the 1980s. The river was originally home to a large salmon population, supporting a salmon cannery and sportfishing, but now the dam blocks salmon from reaching their upstream spawning habitat, and populations are dwindling.
The upper dam was removed on October 1 using powerful explosives. A nearby dam will be removed later this month by the landowner, using heavy equipment.
NOAA partnered with the FishAmerica Foundation,
Salmon River Restoration Council, California Department of Fish and Game, United States Forest Service, Americorps Watershed Stewards Project, 5 Counties Salmonid Conservation Program and the Local Salmon River Landowners and Contractors to remove the two barriers on the river.
Looking Forward
The removal of these two dams, in combination with the removal of another barrier downstream later this year, will open up 1.5 miles of spawning and rearing habitat for spring Chinook salmon and threatened coho salmon and steelhead trout. The project will provide benefits to native riverine fish and wildlife, and improve safety for nearby communities.
For more information about Whites Gulch, contact Leah Mahan of the NOAA Restoration Center at 707-825-5161 or leah.mahan@noaa.gov.
