The oregon department of fish and wildlife (odfw) will construct fish passage improvements to the keno DAM, located on the klamath river in oregon

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) was awarded a $4,100,000 Cooperative Agreement by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation under the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program (CFDA 15.580). The funding will be used to construct fish passage improvements to the Keno Dam on the Klamath River in Oregon. The project aims to address the dam's impediment to fish passage, particularly for endangered salmon and sucker species, following the removal of the lower 4 Klamath River dams by Fall 2024. The award has an ultimate completion date of December 31, 2029 and will involve a multi-agency and stakeholder working group to assess biological investigations and evaluations to inform the necessary upgrades and modifications to the dam's fish ladder.

The keno DAM will be a major impediment to fish passage on the klamath river following removal of the lower 4 dams (completion by fall 2024). The fish ladder at keno DAM was constructed in 1968, and no upgrades have been made since its construction. Consequently, the structure needs repairs and was not designed to meet multiple species passage, including ESA-listed salmon and suckers. Fish passage has been evaluated by reclamation, oregon department of fish and wildlife (odfw), and ferc. Odfw developed a prioritized list of repairs, improvements, and upgrades to provide fish passage for several species. Odfw and reclamation have convened a multi-agency and stakeholder working group to assess biological investigations and evaluations to better inform up- and downstream passage as well as DAM fish ladder modifications needed to improve passage.