In another sign that anti-dam sentiment is spreading across the U.S., a bill introduced in the California legislature yesterday would require the state to draw up a list of dams that could be demolished to help the recovery of endangered salmon and steelhead trout. The bill — drafted by state Sen. Byron Sher (D), chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee — would target small dams that are silted up, abandoned, or in disrepair, and prohibit the listing of dams that “provide essential flood control, water supply, or hydroelectric benefits.” California has more than 1,400 dams on its waterways. Dave Kranz, spokesperson for the California Farm Bureau Federation, said the group was not necessarily opposed to the bill.
