My new home in the Columbia Gorge, from Portland to Hood River to White Salmon, brings the opportunity to learn and connect with a new set of rivers.
When I heard the plan to tear down a 200 ft dam from my new favorite river, my attention sharpened.
[Check out the article Condit Dam Removal: White Salmon soon to be freed that I wrote to learn more about what is going on with the decomission process and how boaters will be effected]
I learned that the days of the Condit Dam on the White Salmon River were numbered, soon discovering how long this process has actually taken.
Steps toward decommissioning began 14 years ago! Hoops and hurdles stood in the way as PacifiCorp, Skamania and Klickitat counties, local community associations, energy and environmental departments and many more all petitioned for their interests. Settlements were made, certifications gained and now only one last order from the Federal Energy Regulation Comission must be made before the final date is set.
And here I stand, showing up for the very last moments of the ordeal.
While I have not been a witness of the process in the past, you better believe I will be around for what happens next.
The White Salmon River valley is about to change drastically. We will witness a new riparian environment slowly rebuild. Fading through degrees of succession as plants and animals reemerge into their natural habitat. Fish will travel farther upstream now, changing the dynamic of upstream sections of river as well.
And of course, the contours of the river bed that have hidden under the lake for nearly 100 years will once again feel the flow of the river.
Makes me wonder what other projects exist throughout my region working toward similar goals and how I might be able to be a part of it all.
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