Iron Gate P-2082
General information | |
Waterway | Klamath River |
Current status | Active  |
Type of facility | Conventional Hydro |
Type of permit | FERC License |
FERC information | |
FERC docket # | P-2082 |
Permit issued | 1/23/2054 |
Permit expires | 2/24/2006 |
Ownership and operation | |
Owner | PacifiCorp |
Owner type | Investor-Owned Utility |
Year first online (conventional hydro) | 1962 |
Transmission or distribution system owner | PacifiCorp |
Power and generating capacity | |
Number of units | 1 |
Total capacity from hydraulic turbine-generator units within each plant | 18.0 mW |
Average annual net hydropower generation | 103,588.4 mWH |
Klamath Hydropower Project Facts
Year built: 1918 and later
Capacity: 160 megawatts
Generation provided: 1% of PacifiCorp demand
Miles of habitat blocked: 350
Fish species affected: coho, chinook, steelhead, lamprey
Klamath Hydropower Project Consists of:
- Keno Dam, a 24-ft non-hydro dam that smoothes return flows from the Bureau’s Klamath Irrigation Project.
- JC Boyle Dam, a 60-ft high dam and 90 MW powerhouse that dewaters 4.3 miles of river.
- Copco 1 Dam, a 120 ft-high dam and 20 MW powerhouse.
- Copco 2 Dam, a 25 ft-high dam and 27 MW powerhouse that dewaters 1.4 miles of river.
- Iron Gate Dam, a 162 ft dam and 18 MW powerhouse.
- Fall Creek Dam, a small diversion dam and 2.2 MW powerhouse on a tributary to the Klamath.
The Klamath River begins in a high arid basin ringed by the volcanic peaks of the Cascade Range in Oregon and flows for over 250 miles to the Pacific south of Crescent City in California.
Much of the wetland habitat of the Upper Klamath Basin was converted to irrigated agriculture, but remaining habitat in National Wildlife Refuges still attracts a majority of migrating birds on the Pacific Flyway.
Downstream of the Upper Klamath Lake, the river plunges into a canyon where PacifiCorp operates five mainstem dams, two in Oregon and three in California. In between two of these dams is a Wild and Scenic stretch that is well-known for its fishing and whitewater rafting.
Since the first dam was constructed in 1918, salmon and steelhead have been prevented from reaching more than 350 miles of historic spawning and rearing habitat in the upper basin.
Iron Gate dam blocks 200-250 mi. of historic salmon and steelhead spawning habitat.Type of proceeding: HybridThreatened/endangered: Coho salmonRecreational values: Whitewater below JC Boyle dam and powerhouseOther values: Yurok reservation on lower 44 mi. of river. 70% of the reservation is without electricity- tribal culture and economy depends on healthy fish populations.
Milestones
FERC will issue final EIS | 04-23-2007 |
CA and OR 401 application deadlines | 03-29-2007 |
FERC Section 10j meeting, 9am – 5pm, Hilton Garden Inn, Redding, CA | 12-14-2006 |
FERC Section 10j meeting, 9am – 5pm, Red Lion Inn, Redding, CA | 12-12-2006 |
Comments due on draft EIS. | 11-24-2006 |
Draft EIS meeting 7 – 10 PM, Red Lion hotel, Eureka, CA | 11-16-2006 |
Draft EIS meeting, 9 AM – 12, Yreka Community Theater, Yreka, CA; and 7 – 10 PM, Yreka Community Theater, Yreka, CA | 11-15-2006 |
Draft EIS meeting 9 – 12, Shiloh Inn, Klamath Falls, OR | 11-14-2006 |
USFWS requests formal consultation as required by section 7 of the ESA | 10-05-2006 |
FERC files draft EIS | 09-25-2006 |
Trial type hearing conducted week of 8/21/06 and concluded 8/25/06. Judges decision expected by 9/21/06 | 08-25-2006 |
Pacificorp submits request for trial hearing to dispute issues of material fact on section 18 prescriptions | 04-28-2006 |
Reply comments due on recommendations, terms and conditions, and prescriptions | 04-12-2006 |
PacifiCorp files CA and OR 401 applications | 03-29-2006 |
NMFS and DOI submit preliminary terms and conditions | 03-27-2006 |
REA notice issued | 12-28-2005 |
FERC issues Scoping Document 1 | 04-16-2004 |
PacifiCorp files final license application | 02-26-2004 |
FERC Section 10j meeting, 9am – 5pm, Hilton Garden Inn, Redding, CA | 12-13-2006 |
FERC issues Scoping Document 2 | 05-17-2005 |
Settlement Signed | 01-17-2008 |
Draft EIS by DOI | 09-21-2011 |
Related resources
- Activists’ Preparation Guide (Case Studies, Hydro guides)
- Dams Out: Klamath Dams (Videos)
- Klamath River (Videos)
Related posts
- From California Trout 16/02/21
Klamath Dam Update: Restoration Contract Signed - From American Whitewater 10/12/20
States, Tribes, and Dam Owner Announce Agreement for Klamath River Dam Removal - From California Trout 02/12/20
Klamath Dams Q&A Webinar – Recap and Recording - From American Rivers 22/11/20
A historic milestone for the Klamath River - From Trout Unlimited 17/11/20
TU applauds new Klamath River agreement - From Hydropower Reform Coalition 17/11/20
Klamath Parties Announce Memorandum of Agreement to Continue Klamath Dam Removal - From California Trout 10/11/20
Making End-of-Life Decisions on Aging Dams – PPIC interview with Dr. Andrew Rypel - From California Trout 29/10/20
Latest #DAMSOUT Update for Klamath and Potter Valley Project - From Friends of the River 10/03/16
River Advocate Vol 6 #1 March 10, 2016
News and updates
From American Rivers2/18/2021
From California Trout2/16/2021