Glines Canyon Dam
Encyclopedia
Arch dam
An arch dam is a type of dam that is curved and commonly built with concrete. The arch dam is a structure that is designed to curve upstream so that the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure, presses against the arch, compressing and strengthening the structure as it pushes...
that forms Lake Mills
Lake Mills
Lake Mills may refer to some places in the United States:*Lake Mills, Iowa, a city*Lake Mills, Wisconsin, a city*Lake Mills , Wisconsin, adjacent to the city of Lake Mills...
13 miles (21 km) upstream from the Elwha River
Elwha River
The Elwha River is a -long river located on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. From its source at Elwha snowfinger in the Olympic Range of Olympic National Park it flows generally north to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Most of the river is contained within Olympic National Park...
's mouth.
Lacking passage for migrating salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
, its construction blocked access by anadromous
Fish migration
Many types of fish migrate on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annually or longer, and over distances ranging from a few metres to thousands of kilometres...
salmonids to the upper 38 miles (48 km) of mainstem habitat and more than 30 miles (48 km) of tributary habitat. The Elwha River
Elwha River
The Elwha River is a -long river located on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. From its source at Elwha snowfinger in the Olympic Range of Olympic National Park it flows generally north to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Most of the river is contained within Olympic National Park...
watershed once supported salmon runs of more than 400,000 adult returns on more than 70 miles (112.7 km) of river habitat. Today, less than 4,000 adult salmon return each year.
The "Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act of 1992" authorized the US Federal Government to acquire the Glines Canyon hydroelectric power projects for decommissioning and demolition for habitat restoration.
The Elwha Ecosystem Restoration
Elwha Ecosystem Restoration
The Elwha Ecosystem Restoration Project in the United States is the largest dam removal project in history and the second largest ecosystem restoration project in the history of the National Park Service, after the Restoration of the Everglades...
project began removal of the dam in September 2011, an effort expected to continue over a period of 2.5 – 3 years. Once removed, the area that is currently under Lake Mills
Lake Mills
Lake Mills may refer to some places in the United States:*Lake Mills, Iowa, a city*Lake Mills, Wisconsin, a city*Lake Mills , Wisconsin, adjacent to the city of Lake Mills...
will be revegetated and its banks secured to prevent erosion and to speed up ecological restoration.
Sources
- Grossman, Elizabeth (2002). Watershed: The Undamming of America, Basic Books, ISBN 1582431086.