REDDING, Calif. — Tribes and organizations working to remove dams on the Klamath River met Thursday to present how the current group of threatened fall-run salmon is faring as the river moves toward post-dam removal for the first time.

According to water quality monitors in the Karuk Tribe, things are looking good. The Klamath River drops an average of 5 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s something he says salmon, which like cold water, thrive on. This results in less bacterial disease and overall healthier fish.

“The fish help inform managers about what restoration measures can be taken to help them,” said Karuk Fisheries Manager Toz Soto. “Because nothing has been done yet. It’s a blank slate and the fish are already using that blank slate and it can only get better.”

Many officials emphasized that this is just the beginning. While fishing still produces smaller returns, the spread they are seeing is promising.

Morgan Knechtle, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in Yreka, said it’s not just fall salmon that they expect to see their numbers bounce back.

“As the season progresses we will transition into a Coho salmon rotation and steelhead viewing rotation continues,” he said. “And we usually see these fish return all season long.”

During the Q&A portion of the presentation, KRRC was asked directly how the project was going for the public. As we last reported in the spring, some residents were facing loss of access to well water and other impacts from drying up reservoirs.San Francisco Chronicle He reported that the situation was the same at the beginning of this month.

In a statement sent after the webinar, KRRC responded:

The Klamath Mitigation Fund is separate from KRRC. The total amount and payments in the fund are completely confidential, as is standard with mitigation funds. KMF is nearing the end of addressing all the issues identified and we believe permanent solutions to the well problems are now being implemented.

KRRC has provided and continues to provide temporary solutions through tanks and water deliveries, ensuring affected residents have water while the total impact is assessed by KMF.

You can follow the water quality studies in the river at: Regularly updated page of the Karuk Tribeand track wider progress Reclamation efforts from RES’ website.