Dams - Inside Climate News

After a Century Powering Its Growth With Dams, Seattle Settles With Tribes That Lost Their River

As part of its relicensing of three dams on the Skagit River, Seattle City Light is paying $1.35 billion to three tribes, which will raise electricity rates but help the river and reservations.

By Blaine Harden

Dam Useless: Barriers Prevent a Migratory Fish from Reproducing

By Lauren Dalban

Can Hydropower Ride the Wave of the Energy Boom?

By Dan Gearino

Boulder City, Nev., an original Hoover Dam power contractor, now receives additional electric power from the Townsite Solar Facility, located a few miles southwest of the city. Credit: Brett Walton/Circle of Blue

Solar Growth Cushions Colorado River Hydropower Declines

By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

As Colorado River Nears Collapse, It Faces Leadership, Transparency ‘Crisis,’ Environmentalists Warn

By Wyatt Myskow

The Chinese Dam Threatening the World’s Most Endangered Ape

By Nicholas Kusnetz

China Is Reshaping Global Development. Is That Good for the Planet?

By Katie Surma

Residents watch as the Kickapoo River jumps its banks and floods the small town of Viola, Wisconsin, in August 2018. Credit: Tim Hundt/Vernon Reporter

The Fate of Thousands of US Dams Hangs in the Balance, Leaving Rural Communities With Hard Choices

By Madeline Heim, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noah Devros, a graduate student and researcher at the University of Southern Mississippi, holds a female Pearl River map turtle as he collects data and tags the turtles for further research in September 2024. Credit: Elise Plunk/Louisiana Illuminator

Can Mississippi Advocates Use a Turtle To Fight a Huge Pearl River Engineering Project?

By Illan Ireland, Mississippi Free Press and Elise Plunk, Louisiana Illuminator

Midwest States Struggle to Fund Dam Safety Projects, Even as Federal Aid Hits Historic Highs

By Kristoffer Tigue

Water flows through Glen Canyon Dam's river outlet works. The pipes will undergo $9 million in repairs, but conservation groups want to see more permanent renovations at the dam, which holds back Lake Powell as Colorado River supplies shrink. Credit: Bureau of Reclamation

Lake Powell Plumbing Will Be Repaired, but Some Say Glen Canyon Dam Needs a Long-Term Fix

By Alex Hager, KUNC

The Minnesota Dam That Partially Failed Is One of Nearly 200 Across the Upper Midwest in Similarly ‘Poor’ Condition

By Kristoffer Tigue

Bob Martin, who manages hydropower at Glen Canyon Dam, shows the effects of cavitation on a decommissioned turbine on Nov. 2, 2022. When air pockets enter the dam's pipes, they cause structural damage. Water managers recently discovered similar damage in a little-used set of tubes that carry water to the Colorado River. Credit: Alex Hager/KUNC

A Plumbing Issue at This Lake Powell Dam Could Cause Big Trouble for Western Water

By Alex Hager, KUNC

As Messy Side Effects of Klamath River Dam Removal Continue, Officials Stress That Short-Term Pain Will Yield Long-Term Gain

By Kiley Price

Lake Powell Is Still in Trouble. Here’s What’s Good and What’s Alarming About the Current Water Level

By Dan Gearino

As the Harms of Hydropower Dams Become Clearer, Some Activists Ask, ‘Is It Time to Remove Them?’

By Kristoffer Tigue

Bob Martin, who manages hydropower at Glen Canyon Dam, is grappling with the reality that generators could soon be shut off because of low water levels in Lake Powell. The Colorado River faces a growing supply-demand imbalance, and normal operations at the dam may suffer. Credit: Alex Hager

The ‘Power of Aridity’ is Bringing a Colorado River Dam to its Knees

By Alex Hager, KUNC

DOE Hydropower Funding Upgrades Dams Rather Than Building New

By Amy Westervelt

Hydropower's Dirty Little Secret

By Max Ajl

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