Elwha Dam Removal Survey Planned
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wants to survey residents of Washington and Oregon about the value of the ongoing ecological restoration project -– one of the largest dam removal projects in U.S. history.
One dam is gone, the other in the process of being removed, and the result is several species of salmon are being counted in the fish weir on the Elwha River and the first adult Chinook salmon have naturally migrated into Olympic National Park, according to recent posts on the park’s excellent Dam Removal Blog. The park is located in Washington state, west of Seattle and across Puget Sound from that city, on the Olympic Peninsula.
Workers continue the task of removing two dams, the Elwha Dam (which is gone) and the Glines Canyon Dam. The bloggers have reported 2012 will be the last spawning season when Chinook salmon won't have access to the watershed above the Glines Canyon Dam, which is scheduled to be removed by the start of next summer.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration now plans to conduct a survey of residents of Washington and Oregon about the value of the ecological restoration project -– one of the largest dam removal projects in U.S. history. NOAA's Sept. 12 notice said the survey has been tested with focus groups and individuals, and plans to administer it online and then by mail, with the goal of obtaining 1,300 completed surveys in all.
Results will be useful in planning future restoration actions, according to the notice.