So How Much Is One Million Cubic Yards?
One Million Yards of litter from Californias Roadsides is enough to build two stacks of trash from the Earth’s surface to beyond the International Space Station, 250 miles in orbit. according to the Office of Governor.
Irongate Dam 📸siskiyou news
Here in Siskiyou, a county larger than Connecticut and Delaware with 8, yes eight stoplights. According to Shasta Shaman John Brennen, retired Military Engineer. One Million Cubic Yards is roughly the size of Iron Gate Dam quoted Ray Haupt, District 5 Siskiyou County Supervisor. So with the largest dam removal project in history with an estimated 17 to 20 million yards behind the 4 dams. Using a slower controlled releases of 3-4000 cubic feet per minute of water when winter flows average 6000cfm with the goal to only and have to flush 5-7 million cubic yards of material down, down, down to the pacific ocean. This is all being done without flooding or loss of property downriver.
Yes, 5 – 7 earthen dams worth of material…
The Elwha River is a relatively short (72-km long), high gradient river flowing north out of the Olympic Mountains into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Strait of Juan de Fuca generates large tidal currents that regularly exceed 1 m/s or 2.23 miles per hour near the Elwha River delta (Warrick and Stevens, 2011).
Here is a series of slide of the mud from the Elwha that seams to be the measuring stick they like to compare to. We hear it a lot around when asking the questions about sediment and mud behind the dams flushing out to sea.
Between water years 2011 and 2015 the Elwha River discharged roughly 14 Million tons of suspended sediment to the coastal waters, composed of ~58% silt and clay, and ~42% sand, and roughly 5 Mt of sand and gravel bedload.
Guardians Of the River
In this film by American Rivers and Swiftwater Films, Indigenous leaders share why removing four dams to restore a healthy Klamath River is critical for clean water, food sovereignty and justice. “Guardians of the River” features Frankie Joe Myers, Vice Chair of the Yurok Tribe, Sammy Gensaw, director of Ancestral Guard, Barry McCovey, fisheries biologist with the Yurok Tribe, and members of the Ancestral Guard and Klamath Justice Coalition.
Dams and Dam Removal
- There are more than 500,000 dams in the U.S. Less than three percent of dams in the U.S. are
hydropower dams and less than 17 percent provide flood protection. - Outdated, obsolete dams threaten public safety: 85 percent of the nation’s dams are more than
50 years old, which is the average design life of a dam. - Aging dams are at increased risk of failure, particularly during increasingly severe storms and
flooding fueled by climate change. For example, at least 87 dams have failed in South Carolina
during storms and hurricanes since 2015. - Hydropower dams and reservoirs are a source of methane emissions, a greenhouse gas 80
times more potent than carbon dioxide. - Dams are a leading reason for the alarming loss of freshwater biodiversity. Seven dams on the
Coosa River in Alabama have caused more than thirty freshwater species to go extinct –
making it one of North America’s worst mass wildlife extinctions on record. Historically, the river
was habitat for 147 species of fish, 91 species of snail, and 53 species of mussels. - More than 2,025 dams have been removed with benefits for river health, fish and wildlife, and
public safety. - The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act committed $2.4 billion for the removal, retrofit and
rehabilitation of dams. The $800 million secured for dam removal is just 10 percent of the $8
billion need to address aging, uneconomic dams that could be removed.
- Wild Horses Coevolved with Wildfire on The North American LandscapeScience and empirical experience suggest the proper management of wild horses benefits public lands, ranchers and mitigates wildfire Paleontological science and DNA studies have proven that all horses in the world originally evolved on the north American continent millions of years ago. About 1-million years ago, during the time there was a land bridge… Read more: Wild Horses Coevolved with Wildfire on The North American Landscape
- Various Cemetery District Vacancies terms ending in 2028Laura Bynum, Clerk of The Board of Supervisors announces that there are scheduled vacancies on various Cemetery Districts for terms ending January 3, 2028 as follows: Etna Cemetery – 2 vacancies Fort Jones Cemetery – 2 vacancies Happy Camp Cemetery – 2 vacancies Henley-Hornbrook Cemetery – 3 vacancies Lakeview Cemetery – 1 vacancy Picard Cemetery… Read more: Various Cemetery District Vacancies terms ending in 2028
- Siskiyou Land Trust invites you to an evening slideshow: “So Far… Nature Stories and Photos,” by Mount Shasta local Mike HuppThursday, December 77:00 PMMt Shasta Sisson Museum Join us on a visual journey with Mike Hupp as he shares his favorite images and rich natural history from the rivers and open spaces of the American west to the rainforests and rugged coast of Tasmania. Through his photographs, he’ll showcase starry night skies, sublime landscapes, and… Read more: Siskiyou Land Trust invites you to an evening slideshow: “So Far… Nature Stories and Photos,” by Mount Shasta local Mike Hupp
- Brenda Jean MoweryNovember 19, 1968 – November 20, 2023 Brenda Mowery Obituary 55 year old Yreka resident, Brenda Jean Mowery, passed away on November 20, 2023 at Fairchild Medical Center. Brenda was born November 19, 1968 in Oregon to Jim and Linda Carlson. Brenda worked for years as a migrant working, traveling constantly to wherever the work took her… Read more: Brenda Jean Mowery
- Robert Eugene Aubrey Sr.April 23, 1944 – November 20, 2023 Robert Aubrey Sr. Obituary Lifelong Siskiyou County resident, Robert Eugene Aubrey Sr., passed away on November 20, 2023 at his home in Yreka. Robert was born on April 23, 1944 in Yreka. At age 15, he lied about his age in order to secure a job at a local lumber… Read more: Robert Eugene Aubrey Sr.
