Klamath Basin tribes held a march this week to protest the dams, which they claim are harmful to the environment. They believe that the water should be released.

"The water quality conditions below those dams are terrible at best. We have ceremonies that we participate in down below those dams, and the water quality problems are such that people are getting sick just by contact," Karuk tribal member Ronnie Reed said.

PacifiCorp, which controls the dams, says the structures in question provide electricity to up to 70,000 households. However, if there are other ways to provide that power, they say they are willing to negotiate.

“We have heard the tribes’ concerns. We are not opposed to dam removal or other settlement opportunities as long as our customers are not harmed and our property rights are respected," PacifiCorp Energy President William Fehrman said.

Once the third-largest producer of salmon on the West Coast, the Klamath River has produced only a fraction of its historic runs since the dams were built between 1917 and 1962.