Our governor has put up $4 million for further studies on the Klamath River dams. Here is what has not been studied that needs to be: water temperatures.

    Salmon have to have 60-degree water or cooler for the eggs to hatch. Impounded water at the depths of these dams will actually cool the water not heat it.

    How much actual spawning gravel is there above the dams?

    How many salmon are backed up behind the first dam that can not get up the river?

    They have not tried trucking around the dams to see if spawning is even feasible. Installing fish ladders will be a lot cheaper than removing the dams.

    The sediment studies are very limited. Even if the dams are removed, there would not be enough water releases to flush out the sediment. The sediment will just go down river and damage good spawning gravel.

    The thought of salmon in the Wood and Williamson rivers is a pipe dream.

    There has never been any creditable account of salmon ever going that high.

    We need clean power and this is the most profitable and the cleanest.

     Leave the dams. Senate Bill 76 has us paying for removal and or relicensing and ladders. 

    PacifiCorp wants the ratepayer to pay any and all changes. 

    The problem with SB 76 is that it only addresses the first $200 million. There is no ratepayer protection if it goes over that amount.

Gary Wells

Klamath Falls