On Thursday went with W. to the second overlook for the Elwha Dam removal. We spent a long time there, watching red and yellow backhoes chew up the old stepped spillway which occupies the river's original channel, and move dirt around. Trucks moved out load after load of rubble and dirt, bringing it to a staging area right by where you park to get on the trail. From there a different fleet of trucks is carrying the rubble off to elsewhere.
Go to the dam webcams and click on webcam slideshow, then tell it to go forward instead of back. Forward takes you to the beginning of the sequence, before the removal began...
They are repairing the Whiskey Bend road, and even hikers can't go up there. No way to get near the upper dam, Glines Canyon, probably until spring, as snow will close the road before repairs are completed; and we won't be able to approach from the other side until the project is completed.
2 comments:
Miriam,
When was this dam built originally and do you know the rationale for it at the time?
Elwha Dam was completed in 1912, blew out immediately :-( and was re-completed in 1914. It was for electricity, in particular to power mills but in general belief in the future development of the area.
The upper dam, Glines Canyon Dam, was built in 1927. Also for electricity.
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