Five peer-reviewed papers written by government, tribal and university researchers, scientifically establish the effects of the Elwha River dam removal. The Elwha Project is the largest dam removal project in U.S. history and the new scientific findings highlight the landscape changes along the coast and river areas as well as their ecological impact.
Since its beginning, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, Reclamation, National Park Service, Washington Sea Grant, NOAA Fisheries, the Lower Elwha Khallam Tribe and the University of Washington, have been monitoring the landscape changes and overall environmental impact from the removal of the dam. Among other scientific observations, scientists observed the speed at which the river eroded and transferred sediments from the former reservoirs. It is estimated that over 27 million cubic yards of sediment have been released over the first two years following the dam removal. Sediments were mainly discharged in the coastal waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, where the river's delta expanded by hundreds of feet.
USGS research scientists and lead author of one of the papers Dr. Jonathan Warrick stated "The expansion of the river mouth delta is very exciting, because we are seeing the rebuilding of an estuary and coast that were rapidly eroding prior to dam removal". The final stages of the dam removal took place during the summer of 2014, therefore some sediment erosion is likely to continue. The research teams will continue to monitor the long-term changes.
Links to the five peer-reviewed papers, published in Elsevier's journal Geomorphology, with details on the changes on the area's landscape, river morphology, water and coastal zone, during the first two years of the dam removal can be found below!
Source: USGS
Built in 1913 to provide the earthquake-devastated San Francisco with fresh water, the Hetch He...
Dam removal has become a mainstream option for dam safety management restoring river, coastal ecosys...
A dam is an infrastructure system that consists of several structures with the intent to collect,...
According to a new report, issued by the United Nations University, aging water storage facilities...
A new study, published in the Environmental Research Letters journal, focuses on the impact of hydr...
By 2019, China had constructed nearly 24,000 large dams (41% of the total large dams worldwide). Cu...
Scientists investigate the response of the rivers across the globe when it comes to the changing en...
Introduction Hoover Dam is the tallest arch dam constructed in the United States and forms one of...
On May 19, 2020, two dams in Michigan breached causing extensive flooding and infrastructure damage...