Elwar River

One day while visiting Rob we drove to Port Angeles at the northern edge of the Olympic National Park to see the dam destruction project and the release of the river.  The dam was removed mid march and the river is now in a controlled flow.  When completed the river will again be available to six different types of salmon for spawning.   The sediment carried by the river will revitalize the delta area of the river.  It was exciting to see that six agencies could work together to complete the project.  The photo shows the drained area after the dam was taken down and the flowing river.  The dam was a privately owned hydroelectric project.  The watershed for the river is located within the national park so is protected.  The US govt agencies, native american tribal officers, and private individuals worked on the details of the project. It took several years of negotiating to develop a plan acceptable to all.