The Rogue River dams in Oregon are down.
The Savage Rapids dam on the Rogue was dismantled in October 2009. And a bit ahead of schedule, in September of 2010, the temporary dam in place to allow for removal of the Savage Rapids dam parts, was also removed.
The Rogue River flows free once again.
The Elwha dams (both of them) in Washington State are scheduled for demolition before next summer.
Who says life isn't getting better in the U.S. of A.?
Earthjustice reports success on the Rogue last fall:
On October 2 2009, Earthjustice attorney Mike Sherwood watched as Savage Rapids dam was demolished, allowing the Rogue River to run free for the first time in 88 years. Torn down in large part because of Mike's legal efforts, the dam was widely regarded as the river's number one salmon killer. Here, Mike talks of what it was like to see the fruits of his labors flow by, and he tells how this dam removal is just part of the larger effort to restore salmon and steelhead runs throughout the West Coast...
http://www.earthjustice.org/...
Backpacker reports celebration this month of the Rogue River flowing free once again.
On Friday, crews removed a temporary dam on the Rogue River east of Grants Pass. It had been holding the river back while the 88-year old Savage Rapids Dam was removed so that the Rogue could flow freely again. For 88 years the dam was used to divert water for irrigation. That part wasn't a problem. What was: it also blocked the river for recreation. And it blocked more than 58,000 salmon and steelhead from reaching their spawning grounds each year--many dying instead, in some cases from raised water temperatures in tributaries with reduced flow and resulting higher water temps...
According to American Rivers, there are severe ecological consequences of dams. Dams dramatically alter a river’s flow regime by blocking a river’s passage, storing water in both large and small artificial reservoirs, and disrupting the cycles that many aquatic organisms depend upon...
-Berne Broudy/Backpacker/September 15, 2010
http://www.backpacker.com/...
According to the National Park Service, this is the last summer before the Elwha River dams come tumbling down.
...Removal of two dams on the Elwha River – our nation’s largest dam removal to date – will restore the river to its natural free-flowing state, allowing all five species of Pacific salmon and other anadromous fish to once again reach habitat and spawning grounds.
The Elwha watershed is the largest in Olympic National Park; restoration of salmon to more than 70 miles of river and tributaries will return vital nutrients to the watershed and restore the entire ecosystem. For the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, this project will bring cultural, spiritual and economic healing as salmon return after a century’s absence and flooded sacred sites are restored.
http://www.nps.gov/...
Some folks in Alaska are paying attention:
While Alaska’s Governor and some state Senators are pushing for a large hydroelectric project to dam the Susitna River, the biggest dam removal project in US history is getting underway near Olympic National Park in Washington state. Excavators are working this week to dig a channel to re-route the Elwha River. Northwest News Network correspondent Tom Banse reports on the project to restore salmon habitat...
KTNA/Talkeetna
http://ktna.org/...