157: January Evening at the Mouth of the Klamath River

This was recorded on a cloudy January evening during an outgoing tide on the beach beside the mouth of the Klamath River in Del Norte County, California. The steady roar of large surf breaking in the distance is punctuated by the waves pushing in against the powerful current of the river and rhythmically crashing against the shore.

The river was running high and was colored chocolate brown with the abundance of sediment it was carrying from the recently breached Copco No. 1 dam far upriver near the California-Oregon border. The one-hundred year old dam is the last of four to be breached as part of the largest dam removal and river restoration project in American history. As the water behind the dam is drawn down, the first step of its eventual removal, the massive quantity of sediment that built up over its lifetime is being carried downstream for its long overdue meeting with the Pacific Ocean. The removal of the dams will return the river to a free-flowing, natural state and will restore spawning habitat for salmon, steelhead, and many other fish. If you'd like to learn more about the Klamath River dam removal, click on one of the following links-

Klamath River Renewal (klamathrenewal.org)

Dam Removal on the Klamath River (americanrivers.org)

Klamath Dams Removal | California Trout (caltrout.org)

Klamath River: Largest dam removal in U.S. history begins : NPR

Fourth dam breached on the Klamath River - OPB

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