The last piece of the lower dam blocking Washington state\u2019s Elwha River has been removed, according to NPR. With its removal, a project that began three years ago to free the Elwha river\u2019s flow is complete.<\/p>\n
Scientists are monitoring the effects that highly concentrated sediment once trapped behind the dam may be having on the Strait of Juan de Fuca downstream. But a return of wildlife and fish to the Elwha is already indicating the project\u2019s success.<\/p>\n
Washington fisheries biologists have counted more than 1,500 king salmon above the lower dam site this past summer, an increase from years past. Land animals, like otters, bears and deer, are also enjoying more access to stronger flows that keep water fresh.<\/p>\n
Image:\u00a0The Elwha River near the Glines Canyon Dam as of September 2013 (Credit: NPS\/USBR\/USGS Elwha Restoration Project Imagery , via Flickr<\/span>)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The last piece of the lower dam blocking Washington state\u2019s Elwha River has been removed, according to NPR. With its removal, a project that began three years ago to free the Elwha river\u2019s flow is complete. Scientists are monitoring the effects that highly concentrated sediment once trapped behind the dam may be having on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":19171,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,49],"tags":[279,103],"class_list":["post-19170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-rivers-streams","tag-dams","tag-news-2"],"remote_post_permalink":false,"remote_post_featured_image":false,"yoast_head":"\n