The #Elwha Undammed - Saturday Snapshots

The former site of the Elwha Dam was my hiking group's first stop on the way back home from our Lake Crescent getaway. The dam was built in 1911 to provide cheap electricity for Port Angeles, and it did its job for 100 years. Demolition began in 2012. The result: restoration of the area's ecosystem and critical spawning habitat for endangered salmon species. 

(Click on photos for a closer look.)

Before:

After the dam's removal:

Remnants of the dam were left as reminders of the area's history.

Now the river flows freely from its source in the Olympic Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This project was the largest dam removal in U.S. history.

More info about the Elwha Dam:

PBS documentary (about 25 minutes): Undamming the Elwha

National Geographic (3 minutes - time lapse video): Freeing the Elwha

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