Mark Bransom: Veteran Water Engineer Demonstrates Agility and Ability to Adapt and Coordinate on the Nation’s Largest Dam Removal Project

Mark Bransom, CEO since 2016 of Klamath River Renewal Corp., credits his more than 30-year career in water resources management and engineering for his ability to oversee the successful completion of the largest dam removal project in U.S. history. The $450-million project involved removal of four dams, built between 1903 and 1962 and reaching 425 ft in height, across 35 miles of the Klamath River in Oregon and California.

The ability to be nimble proved critical in the success of the project, which began as a kernel of an idea more than 20 years ago through efforts of tribal leaders dedicated to returning the river to its natural state and opening it once again to salmon habitat.

“The things that I have learned through project delivery experience over the years taught me to keep a keen focus on risk evaluation and risk management, and [the project team] did a really good job with that, being flexible as the unknowns became knowns or partial knowns, and being nimble to address risks and change,” says Bransom.

“Mark Bransom has a unique combination of technical, political, regulatory and communication skills … to anticipate a potential issue, assemble the right team to develop solutions and build consensus with a diverse stakeholder group to implement the solution,” says Morton McMillen, executive vice president of McMillen Corp., which provided design and engineering services on the project. “Mark’s passion and dedication to the Klamath project were displayed every day and were instrumental in inspiring Klamath team members to overcome all obstacles put in their path.”

Long Lead-up

The effort began when PacifiCorp, former owner of the dams, allowed its licenses to operate them expire in 2006, finally leading to a settlement agreement with federal, state, local and tribal authorities, as well as nine conservation and fishing groups, to remove the structures. PacifiCorp transferred the licenses to the newly formed removal company, which managed the process to decommission and dismantle the four hydroelectric facilities.

A former faculty member at Oregon State University, where he earned a PhD in civil and environmental engineering, Bransom had been a senior vice president in water resources and environmental management at CH2M Hill and oversaw large water infrastructure and environmental restoration projects. “I consider myself something of a generalist rather than a specialist,” he says.

“I had the ability to hear different perspectives, both technical and nontechnical, and use information to help formulate approaches to problem-solving,” Bransom says, adding he then assembled a team to help fulfill the work started by the local tribes. “The renewal corporation has benefited from the relationship we have developed with the tribes, who have been at this for several decades.”

The virtually simultaneous removal of the four dams in 2024 released sediment that had built up for about 100 years. Bransom says his biggest successes came from understanding when to use existing infrastructure and when to build new structures during reservoir dewatering and then making real-time decisions on how much sediment to move into the river. “Mark’s commitment to the Klamath project was central to aligning community, tribal and agency partners,” says Dan Petersen, project manager of contractor Kiewit, which managed the removals. “His ability to foster collaboration and build trust advanced the project’s most critical components.”

Project focus now turns to restoration of the river and surrounding area. Once that completes likely in 2028 or 2029, the removal company will transfer project land to the two states.