US Advances Largest Dam Demolition in History

US Advances Largest Dam Demolition in History
The J.C. Boyle Dam diverts water from the Klamath River to a powerhouse downstream in Keno, Ore., on Aug. 21, 2009. Jeff Barnard/AP Photo
The Associated Press
Updated:
0:00

PORTLAND, Ore.—U.S. regulators approved a plan Thursday to demolish four dams on a California river and open up hundreds of miles of salmon habitat that would be the largest dam removal and river restoration project in the world when it goes forward.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s unanimous vote on the lower Klamath River dams is the last major regulatory hurdle and the biggest milestone for the $500 million demolition proposal. The project would return the lower half of California’s second-largest river to a free-flowing state for the first time in more than a century.