Heavy metals in the Klamath River? Things are still murky post-drawdown
Three weeks after citizens stood up at a public meeting in Siskiyou County, California, and raised concerns about heavy metals in the Klamath River, the situation is about as clear as the river. And the river’s pretty muddy. The breaching of the Iron Gate, Copco 1 and JC Boyle hydroelectric dams in January was done to draw down the reservoirs behind the dams as a prelude to dam removal later this year. But the drawdown released vast amounts of sediment that had been backed up behind the dams. And some of those sediments contain metals. … Only after a year from when drawdown is complete will the company test for more metals, as directed by the state.
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