KRRC and Kiewit Name RES as Lead Restoration Contractor on Klamath Dam Removal Project

KLAMATH BASIN – Today, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC), along with lead contractor Kiewit, continue progress toward fulfilling the terms of the Amended Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA) dam removal and restoring a free-flowing Klamath River by selecting Resource Environmental Solutions, LLC (RES) as project restoration subcontractor. Under the current award, RES has been added to the team to take a leadership role in the restoration design and planning, with the goal of RES leading the restoration following the completion of design.

“We could not ask for a better partner than RES to undertake the vital environmental restoration that is a key part of this landmark project. They have the proven experience and expertise needed to ensure success,” said Mark Bransom, KRRC Chief Executive Officer.

RES is a nationally recognized leader in environmental restoration and water quality improvement projects. Recently, RES has undertaken a significant permittee-responsible mitigation project restoring approximately 17,000 acres into a functioning native ecosystem for the North Texas Municipal Water District. RES enables turnkey environmental solutions ranging from initial site planning, design, construction (restoration), and long-term stewardship. After a decade of operation, the team has worked across nearly 20 states, improving more than 300 miles of streams, restoring more than 50,000 acres, and planting more than 15,000,000 trees.

“By returning our nation’s rivers to their natural condition, these projects enable large-scale restoration to occur, which provide significant benefits to the local community while enhancing the surrounding ecosystems,” said Elliott Bouillion, RES, President and CEO. “We are excited to work with KRRC, Kiewit, and agencies to evaluate the environmental restoration elements to ensure a timely and durable solution is in place for the community.”

RES is known for integrating long-term stewardship into its restoration designs and has extensive experience addressing potential liabilities associated with challenging, large-scale projects. Given the complexity of a project this size, RES will ensure the restoration plan provides the necessary adaptive management to ensure the permit requirements are achieved as the river returns to its natural state.

The Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) is an independent nonprofit organization founded in 2016 as part of the amended Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA). KRRC is part of a cooperative effort to re-establish the natural vitality of the Klamath River so that it can support all communities in the basin. Signatories of the amended KHSA incude the states of California and Oregon, local governments, tribal nations, dam owner PacifiCorp, irrigators, and several conservation and fishing groups. KRRC was formed for the sole purpose of taking ownership of four PacifiCorps dams — J.C. Boyle, Copco No. 1 & 2, and Iron Gate – and then removing these dams, restoring formerly inundated lands, and implementing required mitigation measures in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations. KRRC’s work is funded by PacifiCorp customer surcharges and California Proposition 1 water bond funds.

KRRC values transparency and cooperation with all stakeholders and is committed to working with residents and governments to minimize any nuisance or negative impacts while enhancing the project’s local benefits.