The utility company PacifiCorp has agreed to a proposal to remove four hydroelectric dams that for decades have blocked salmon migration on the Klamath River in Oregon and California. The Sept. 30 announcement marked a major step forward in a sometimes bitter decade-long negotiation process between PacifiCorp, federal and state governments, Native American tribes, fishermen, farmers, and environmental conservationists to revive ailing salmon fisheries, restore their habitat and improve water quality.

The Klamath was once the third largest salmon run on the West Coast. To the native people of the region, the river and its fish — particularly the salmon — are sacred. The dams, built during the first part of the 20th century, have been blamed for declines in salmon and other fish populations, as well as water quality, in the Klamath.

The groups involved in the negotiations are expected to sign a final document in December. The federal government would then undertake about three years of studies, environmental review and cost analysis before Interior Secretary Ken Salazar makes a final decision on the plan; according to the terms of the agreement, Salazar must decide by 2012 whether removing the dams is in the public interest and will benefit the fish.

If Salazar approves the dam removal, decommissioning would begin in 2020. The plan, which has a cost cap of $450 million, would be the largest dam-removal project in the world and one of the largest U.S. river restoration efforts.

Click here for links to download the full draft settlement agreement or read a summary. To learn more about the history of the conflict, read our Klamath River sacred site report.