Even Bigger than Originally Thought

The world's largest dam removal project in history is even bigger than originally thought.

Due to a mapping error the estimate of the sediment load impounded by the Elwha dams was off by a 10,000,000 cubic yards.

LINK (via: The Seattle Times)

Fish hide from heavy sediment flow in newly freed Elwha River

A rain-swollen Elwha River is now flowing freely for the first time in a century, triggering the first big release of some of the 20 million cubic yards of sediment stuck behind what’s left of Glines Canyon Dam.

While scientists are giddy over the long-anticipated and well-planned flush of Lake Mills sediment, coho and chum salmon are ducking for cover since the river’s turbidity has spiked seven-fold since summer.

LINK (via: The Penninsula Daily)

A week of blasting at Glines Canyon Dam

Crews will resume blasting the 85-year-old dam today, lowering what's left of Lake Mills by another 8 feet.

A Drone’s Eye View of the Elwha River

Scientists have been looking at all angles of the Elwha River since deconstruction began on two dams just over a year ago. They’ve been testing turbidity, tracking river otters and conducting an ongoing salmon census.

And now they’re using remote-control planes to record high-definition video and thermal images. They’re securing a small camera to a 4-foot wide drone, which can flies as high as 500 feet over the river.

Footage provided by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Restoring the Elwha

Get a closer look at the large-scale restoration efforts and science behind the largest dam removal in U.S. history, which began in 2011 on the Elwha River in Washington State. How do NOAA Fisheries scientists prepare for and measure the changes?

"We can now say that restoration of anadromous salmon in Olympic National Park is underway"

Adult chinook salmon were observed on the Elwha River in Olympic National Park, park officials and biologists reported, less than five months after removal of one of the two dams.

These are the first observed Elwha River salmon to naturally migrate upstream into the park, according to a statement released by the park.

LINK (via:The Penninsula Daily)