In summer 2024, the removal of four major dams on the Klamath River reopened an estimated 400 miles of habitat for salmon, steelhead trout, Pacific lamprey and other native species. This milestone US project, managed by the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC), creates significant demand for specialized environmental restoration services—a growing segment within the infrastructure and compliance market.
Stantec’s contract outlines detailed engineering tasks across five tributaries: Beaver, Jenny, Spencer, Camp and Scotch Creeks. Michael Adams, Stantec’s project lead, notes the scope involves reconfiguring roughly 18,000 linear feet (3.4 miles) of stream channel—much of which was submerged under former reservoirs. The firm will manage approximately 150,000 cubic yards of reservoir sediment, redirecting it within dewatered basins to support ecosystem objectives.
Beyond hydraulics, the project targets long-term habitat objectives. Designs will support spawning and juvenile rearing by restoring natural channel morphology. Stantec completed its design phase in spring 2025, and is maintaining a continuous on‑site presence through summer and fall 2025 to oversee implementation under RES.
RES recently entered a partnership with the Shasta Indian Nation to restore more than 1,000 acres now in tribal ownership. The initiative spans a total of 2,200 acres of previously inundated land, with revegetation underway since early 2024. Dave Coffman, RES’s restoration program director, emphasizes the cultural and subsistence importance of salmon for the Karuk, Yurok, Shasta, Klamath and Modoc communities—underscoring the project’s dual environmental and cultural value.
Founded in 2007 and based in Houston, RES employs over 1,000 specialists nationally and has positioned itself as the U.S.’s largest ecological restoration firm. For publicly‑listed Stantec (TSX/NYSE: STN), the Klamath engagement aligns with a strategy of leveraging regulatory support for nature-based infrastructure. It joins a portfolio of dam removals and stream restorations across North America, including projects in Colorado, Ontario, Ohio, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
