Archive for the ‘Conservation’ Category

White Salmon River - Salmon Free Again

Breached on the 26^th of October 2011, the Condit Dam, built in 1913 and named for its chief engineer, is coming down for good.  For the good of the salmon, other migratory fish and whitewater enthusiasts, according to the local American Indian tribal leaders and members of the advocacy group American Rivers.

Calling the area a “paradise”, tribal elder, Gerald Lewis of the Yakama Nation, recalled the stories of how members of their tribe hunted, fished and gathered native plants and berries in the area before the dam was built. He said, “Taking that dam out releases the river, turning it back to its natural state. The fish that live in these waters will be able to swim freely and spawn as they used to without having that un-natural barrier in place. It’s like reawakening a person – their body, heart, mind and soul.”

The dam, more than 12 stories tall, was built on the White Salmon River in 1913, near Vancouver Washington.  Originally built to provide power for the Crown Willamette Paper Company in Camas, WA, it had ‘fish ladders’ that allowed the salmon to migrate upstream.  However, shortly after the dam’s completion, the fish ladders were destroyed twice by storms and rather than replace them again, Northwestern Electric (the owners at the time) were required to participate in a fish hatchery scheme instead.

The current owners of the dam, PacifiCorp, decided that the alternations the federal government required, which included the addition of fish ladders, were going to be too costly so they applied for decommissioning the dam. At 471 feet long and 125-foot high, the Condit Dam is the largest dam ever to be removed in the US.

Glacier-fed, the White Salmon River originates on Mount Adams, and captured 3.3 miles above its mouth, it empties into the Columbia River. Without the dam, at least 33 miles of habitat will open up for the Steelhead and the Tule Chinook. Famous for its natural beauty, the opening of the river with the removal of the dam will create many new recreational opportunities.

To keep the spawning nests from being inundated by sediment when the dam is breached, fisheries staff captured 679 Tule Chinook from below the dam and relocated them to the river above.  A tunnel 18 feet wide and 13 feet tall was created in the base of the dam, so that once the dam had been breached, water and sediment could pass from the reservoir above.

The next 11 months will see the dismantling of the structure of the dam and restoration of the natural streambed. The estimated cost for improvements and fish ladders required by federal regulators was $100 million, so the estimated $32 million for the dam’s removal is a considerable saving for Pacificorp.

White Salmon To Swim Free Again on the White Salmon River