Tough call. The electricity will be missed, but a couple of those dams have reached their useful lifespans due to silt deposits. It will be interesting to see how they dismantle those dams without silting up the entire river basin. It could be decades before the river is clear enough to support salmon.
The distribution of water rights will be a big problem, too. I assume the farmers will get screwed.
Removing existing reservoirs and blocking future ones will make future droughts more impactful; then higher food, energy, water bills...
I have been asking that question for 3 or 4 years with no answer. There are 3 or 4 down river Indian tribes and most of them are for it’s removal and I really question that
...but a couple of those dams have reached their useful lifespans due to marketable silt deposits.
Fixed. That silt is laden with phosphate and trace minerals. Check out the disaster for water quality that was dam removal along the Rogue.
The last estimate I saw was 17,000,000 cu. yds.
...and I can’t dredge because of turbidity.