As public attention grows over the future of Keno Dam—including calls for its removal to expand fish passage for species now migrating upstream of the former Lower Klamath River dam sites—the Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) is reaffirming the dam’s vital role in the region’s water system and urging federal agencies to honor binding legal obligations that protect it.
Keno Dam, located on the Klamath River just downstream of the Klamath Irrigation Project diversion works, is vital infrastructure that supports flood control, water deliveries to approximately 100,000 acres of agricultural lands, and wildlife habitat for two premier national wildlife refuges.
A century ago, a rock reef in the Klamath River impeded flow at Keno, raising water levels behind the reef. In the early 1930s, the California Oregon Power Company (Copco) constructed “Needle Dam” at Keno to maintain water elevations along the 18-mile section of the Klamath River between the city of Klamath Falls and the town of Keno. This design supported the operation of the Lost River Diversion Channel, which diverts flood waters from the Lost River into the Klamath River.
