I’m looking forward to watching the two dams on the Elwha River
being dismantled — and I won’t have to leave home.
In this July 9 photo, water
was pouring through the spillway gates of Glines Canyon Dam. Since
then, the reservoir has reached a low of -18 feet pending
demolition, and the spill has declined.
Photo courtesy of Robert Dashiell
Sure, I’ll try to make a few trips to Port Angeles and up the
Elwha valley to see what I can see at various times. But webcams
placed in strategic locations may actually be the best view
around.
We won’t be able to judge the quality of the view from the
webcams until they are installed later this month. At least that’s
the proposed timing, according Olympic National Park officials who
are doing their best to help people share the experience of dam
removal.
I outlined the options for viewing and information gathering in
a story in
Sunday’s Kitsap Sun. In addition to webcams, park officials are
working to find ways for people to stay connected with the project,
both in person and on-line, as I describe in my story.
Not to leave out fun, culture and education, a weeklong
celebration is being planned about the time the contractor gets the
go-ahead to work in the river on Sept. 15. For a calendar of
events, go to the Celebrate Elwha!
website.
Meanwhile, reporter Lynda Mapes of the
Seattle Times was able to capture the sites and sounds of the
changing environment as the declining water levels reveal
conditions never seen before without scuba gear.
In a report last night on KING-5 News, Gary Chittim offered a
visually rich account of the studies taking place at the mouth of
the Elwha River, where nearshore and delta areas are expected to
receive huge loads of sediment after the Elwha and Glines Canyon
dams come out.
He noted that divers from The U.S. Geological Survey and
Environmental Protection Agency have been fighting strong currents
as they conduct a spacial survey of the plants and animals in the
nearshore area.
Gary quoted Sean Sheldrake, dive unit officer for the EPA:
“Just yesterday, we were diving on a beautiful kelp forest with
a variety of fish and plant life, and the hope is through this
reconnection of the Elwha to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, it will
not only continue but thrive.”
And in a news release last week from the U.S. Geological
Survey, Sheldrake was quoted as saying:
“Until now, we’ve focused most of our attention on the effect
this project will have on the river, salmon habitat and salmon
recovery. But with this survey, we will have a more complete and
much clearer picture of the effects on the nearshore ocean
environment.”
More than 19 million cubic meters of sediment — enough to fill
11 football fields the height of the Empire State Building — has
accumulated behind the Elwha River dams, according to the news
release. That sediment is expected to create turbidity for a time,
but in the long run could be beneficial for a variety of plant and
animal species in area.
As demolition time draws near for the two Elwha River dams, 82
bull trout were recently captured in the middle portion of the
river and moved upstream out of harm’s way.
Bull Trout /
Photo: Olympic National Park
Scientists used their skills with hook-and-line fishing as well
as the more direct electroshock treatment to take adults and
juveniles from waters in and around Lake Mills at the upper Glines
Canyon Dam, as well as from the section of the river between the
two dams.
The bull trout averaged 14 inches long, and some were as big as
24 inches.
The fish were held in net pens in Lake Mills for up to 10 days.
They were measured and sampled for genetic characteristics. Radio
transmitters were implanted in 31 fish to track their movements.
Then they were transported by helicopter to two locations upstream,
one near Elkhorn Ranger Station and the other at the mouth of Hayes
River.
The protective action is considered important, because removal
of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams is likely to dislodge an
estimated 24 million cubic yards of sediment that has collected
behind the dams since they were built, according to estimates by
the Bureau of Reclamation. Most of that sediment will come from a
delta at the south end of Lake Mills. Bull trout caught in the
sediment-laden river probably will not do well, researchers
say.
“Using the best available science, we’ve taken steps to protect
the bull trout population and given them immediate access to
high-quality, pristine habitats in the upper river through this
relocation project,” said Sam Brenkman, fisheries biologist for
Olympic National Park.
Even at 50 to 100 ppm, bull trout may stop feeding, suffer from
gill abrasion and experience stress that can reduce their fitness.
Greater levels of turbidity can lead to reduced health and possible
death.
Bull trout were moved by
helicopter to the upper Elwha River. / Photo: Olympic
National Park
It was assumed for planning purposes that fish remaining in the
river would die. That’s why a priority was placed on maintaining
access to high-quality areas upstream as well as tributaries and
off-channel areas that can serve as refugia from the murky
waters.
In addition, the demolition schedule includes “fish windows”
when construction will cease and the river will clear up to a safer
level, allowing for salmon and trout to migrate and spawn. These
fish windows are scheduled for November-December to aid coho and
chum migration into the Elwha; May-June for hatchery out-migration
and steelhead in-migration; and Aug. 1-Sept. 14 for chinook and
pink salmon in-migration.
Bull trout were listed as threatened under the Endangered
Species Act in 1999. Over the past five years, fisheries biologists
have surveyed the river to find out where the fish hang out,
tracked them with radio telemetry and conducted genetic studies to
understand their population dynamics.
Based on this work, researchers estimate the adult bull trout
population at less than 400 fish, less than 3 percent of the entire
Elwha River fish community. Between 60 and 69 percent are found
downstream of Rica Canyon, which lies just above Lake Mills.
Moving the fish upstream will allow them to find the most
suitable habitat following dam removal. A unique characteristic of
bull trout is that some individuals in a given population may
migrate to the ocean, while others stay in freshwater their entire
lives. Some may move into tributaries or lakes, while others prefer
the main river.
Biologists believe bull trout once occupied the entire Elwha
River system before the first dam was built in 1910. Following dam
removal, the landlocked population above the dams will be able to
move all the way downstream. The anadromous population that can’t
get above the Elwha Dam will be able to utilize the entire
watershed.
The relocation effort fulfills a requirement of a 2000 revision
to the 1996 biological opinion for bull trout by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
“We are pleased that we met our objectives,” said Pat Crain,
fisheries biologist for Olympic National Park. “And this project,
designed to protect a threatened species, would not have been
possible without close collaboration among the various
agencies.
“During two weeks of field work, more than 20 biologists — from
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Lower Elwha
Klallam Tribe, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and
Student Conservation Association — assisted with and monitored the
capture and relocation effort.”
The relocation work was completed June 17.
Other projects that should help bull trout include a culvert
replacement on Griff Creek, a middle tributary of the Elwha, and an
evaluation of the competition that occurs with nonnative brook
trout.
If you’d like to read more about the Elwha Dam removal, check
out the story I wrote for the
Kitsap Sun Sept. 4, 2010, or visit Olympic National Park’s
“Bull
Trout” page.
The tagging of captured
bull trout took place on Lake Mills. / NPS photo by
John Gussman
Studies about the future of the Elwha River, which snakes up
into Olympic National Park, have been going on for more than 20
years. Now that dam removal is about a year away, excitement is
reaching new heights.
Glines Canyon Dam is the
larger of the two dams to be removed on the Elwha River.
Photo courtesy of National Park Service
I thought that this would be a good time to discuss the
restoration of the river and reservoirs behind the two dams. How
will the natural environment change? What kinds of plants will take
over? And what will be the future of salmon and steelhead that have
hung on in the lower river all these years?
These are subjects I touched on in a series of articles
published in Sunday’s Kitsap Sun. In one piece, I also mentioned
the special cultural significance of the Elwha River to the Lower
Elwha Klallam Tribe.
What I did not cover in this reporting project was the old
debate about whether the two dams should be removed. At $350
million, it’s an expensive project, and some people are convinced
that it is not worthwhile. Costs of protecting water quality for
the city of Port Angeles and replacing the power for the paper mill
are part of the public expense. But these issues were decided long
ago.
My intention in these articles was to show what could be
expected as the dams come down and the restoration moves into the
key areas behind the reservoirs.
For general information with links to related studies, visit the
Elwha Watershed Information
Resource, developed by the University of Idaho through a
cooperative agreement with the NOAA Coastal Services Center and in
partnership with the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Peninsula College
and Western Washington University.
