Webcam Offers Unique View of PBS’ Dam Removal Projects
Webcams available at the site of the Elwha Dam removal offer a unique insight into the dramatic changes occurring in the area. PBS is pleased to serve as the environmental consultant on this project, which is the largest dam removal endeavor in the United States.
An overlook of this landmark project can be viewed through the National Park Service’s Webcam Slideshow, available here.
The dam removal, once completed, will allow the Elwha River to return to a free-flowing state, restoring habitats for all five species of Pacific salmon along 70 miles of the local watershed.
In August 2011, PBS prepared several Work Plans associated with construction around each of the affected dams which were subsequently reviewed and approved by the National Park Service. PBS Environmental Scientist, Skip Haak, created Fish Recovery Plans that included procedures for monitoring pools that will develop as the water is drawn down, potentially stranding fish. Plans included methods for seining, dip netting, and electrofishing to capture fish for relocation. Currently, Skip and Kevin Hood, SEA, are planning to be onsite during the dam removal, to monitoring and respond to such conditions.
Contaminated Soil Characterization and Health & Safety Plans were created by Scott Braunsten (of PBS’ Portland office), who also performed initial contaminant delineation. Final excavation of soils, primarily impacted by lead from nearby painted surfaces was overseen by Tom Mergy (of PBS’ Seattle office).
Significant demolition began following a ground-breaking ceremony by the Park Service at the Elwha Dam.
Project History
Areas impacted by the dam removal project contain sites sacred to the Elwha Klallam Tribe which have been flooded for more than a century. This momentous project will restore the site’s natural balance and support cultural and economic healing as salmon return to the area.
The Elwha Dam was constructed in 1910 (center and right photos). It has a central gravity-type section with an adjacent buttress-type intake section and is 105 feet high. The dam provided the first electrical power to Port Angeles and the Olympic Peninsula. The Glines Canyon Dam (left photo) is a 210-foot-tall, varied radius, single-arch, concrete dam constructed in 1926. Both dams eventually provided important power supply to pulp and paper mills in Port Angeles.
Since 1940, when the boundaries of the Olympic National Park were expanded to include the two dams, the U.S. Department of the Interior has been concerned about the inability of native anadramous fish to migrate through the river. In 1995, the Department concluded that dam removal was feasible and necessary to restore fisheries.
Working as a subcontractor to Barnard Construction of Bozeman, Montana, PBS is providing excavation plans, emergency response plans, confirmation sampling during removal of contaminated soil, and regulatory agency coordination. PBS’ Natural Resource Staff is preparing and implementing a Fish Recovery Plan while LEED-certified engineers provide a Waste Management Plan for the contractor.
Check back here for the latest project news and photos.
