The Dam Has Been Breached

Here is a quick update to a post I made earlier this week about a dam here in the PACNW being knocked down for a couple of fish.

The Condit Dam on the White Salmon River has been breached.

  

The reservoir behind the dam has already emptied and the river is its channel.

Time lapse of the reservoir emptying:


Also, in the earlier post I questioned how salmon that have never been above the dam will migrate to locations beyond were the dam used to sit. Well, it seems that prior to the breach, fish biologists hand carried salmon to a point above the dam. This was done for two reasons. First, due to the heavy silt that was going to head down stream due to the breach, all river life was going to end. Fish, frogs, water skippers, salamanders, and what-have-you-not were not going to survive the muddy, turbulent flow. Secondly, the salmon were moved in the hopes they would establish themselves upstream from the old dam site. I guess this makes sense. As I mentioned, Salmon return to the place they were hatched. If they are further upstream, then it stands to reason they will return there in a few years. This remains to be seen.