Elwah Dam Removals Rebuild Beach (And Great Shellfish Habitat) At River's Mouth; Spawning Sites, Too

Millions of cubic yards of sediment once trapped behind the dams on the Elwha River is moving downstream and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The rapid formation of gravel bars since December has been gaining the attention of researchers. (Tom Roorda / Contributed photo)

PORT ANGELES — The removal of two dams has freed the Elwha River on the Olympic Peninsula, but the most dramatic changes are being observed in the mass movement of silts, sands and gravels entrapped for decades behind the dams.

Researchers are scrambling to measure the remarkable changes, including the sudden appearance and disappearance of gravel bars along much of the riverbed. And, over the past two months, a new sandy beach has begun to form at the mouth of the Elwha, transforming a rocky moonscape into what could become prime shellfish habitat. “We are seeing great changes,” said Andrea Ogston, a University of Washington oceanographer, “but it is just a drop in the bucket. We can expect to see greater changes in the future.”

Ogston and other researchers presented their latest findings last week at the annual workshop of the Elwha Nearshore Consortium, a group of people involved in the Elwha River Restoration Project. In addition to sediment movements, researchers reported recent changes in vegetation along with fish and shellfish habitats.

Removal of the lower Elwha Dam was completed last March. By October, all but about 50 feet of the upper Glines Canyon Dam was removed before work was halted for the winter. The remainder of that dam is scheduled to be removed later this year.

EDIT

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2013/mar/02/dramatic-changes-following-elwha-dam-removal/#axzz2MVGOchqn