Adjusting to a Constantly Changing Landscape: Adaptive Design as a Restoration Strategy for Fish-Bearing Tributaries to the Klamath River
Mike Adams, Jr.
Stantec Consulting Services
Fairfax, VA
Matt Johnson
RES
Colorado Springs, CO
Kate Klavon
Stantec
Colorado Springs, CO
Authors: Mike Adams, PE; Matt Johnson, PE; Kate Klavon, PE
On the morning of January 26, 2024, a loud blast echoed down the Klamath River; following this century of damming, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation was beginning to dismantle J.C. Boyle Dam, one of four dams slated for demolition, and kicking off active construction of the largest dam removal project in the world. As the reservoirs behind the dams drained, they exposed previously submerged floodplains and once again free-flowing waterways. The work to restore the reemerging tributaries had begun.
During the planning phase, five tributaries were identified as having high fish bearing potential and are a focus of active restoration efforts. This project presents unique challenges from unknown existing conditions of the tributaries that are constantly changing in response to long dormant fluvial processes. Accommodating, and in some cases, accelerating these processes requires the design team to perpetually adapt in real-time. We are working together to restore these previously submerged tributaries and improve the habitat and health of fisheries to allow salmon, steelhead, and lamprey access to historic spawning habitat upstream of the dams.
We will discuss how the design for the post-dam removal tributaries has adapted over time to reflect our knowledge of boundary conditions and ongoing channel response to free-flowing water. We will talk about the uncertainty of the pre-reservoir channel alignments and profiles and the concomitant assumptions associated with the initial design. We will then provide an overview of the channel response to assisted sediment evacuation and strategies to accelerate geomorphic processes during the first year following dam removal.
Lastly, we will present the current state of the restoration design for the fish bearing tributaries along with expectations as we anticipate construction of the tributaries commencing in the summer of 2025.
About Mike Adams, Jr.
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About Matt Johnson
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About Kate Klavon
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