In what will be the largest dam removal effort in California, Pacific Gas & Electric announced yesterday that it plans to demolish five small but significant dams on a Northern California stream in an attempt to save endangered salmon runs. Federal and state governments will pay $27 million to help remove the dams, PG&E will give up $20 million in lost power revenue, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation will kick in $3 million. Set for completion in 2001, the project will restore 42 miles of Battle Creek, which empties into the Sacramento River and is considered premier habitat for salmon and steelhead trout. This is the latest project in a growing trend of removing dams to save fish. In a boost to another anti-dam effort, Oregon’s attorney general last week filed a court document contending that four major dams on the lower Snake River in Washington state are polluting the river and harming salmon.
