Dam demolition begins in the US
Demolition contractors in the US have begun work on dismantling two dams in Washington state, as part of the second-biggest ecosystem restoration project ever undertaken by the National Park Service (NPS), after the Everglades.
The two dams across the Elwha River near Port Angeles will be taken down over the course of three years, as the NPS attempts to return the river, on the Olympic Peninsula, to its wild state and restore its salmon runs.
The concrete dams stand at 210 feet and 108 feet tall and were built a century ago in 1911. Prior to their construction the river was one of the most plentiful Chinook salmon runs in the US, but the damming of the river diminished their runs and fundamentally changed the ecosystem.
The demolition process began with an excavator taking the first few chips out of the larger of the two structures last Thursday. The contractors were watched by crowds of onlookers, including many members of the local Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, who celebrated the beginning of the restoration with drumming, singing, dancing and a blessing by tribal elder Ben Charles Sr.
Also present was the NPS Director, Jon Jarvis, who said, "This restoration project is a testament to what can happen when diverse groups find a way to work together and achieve shared goals of restoration for a river, a people, an ecosystem and a national park."
