| Glines Canyon Dam | |
| Locale | Elwha River |
|---|---|
| Height | 210 ft. (64 m) |
| Destruction date | 2012 (est.) |
| Geographical Data | |
Elwha river and dam locations |
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Glines Canyon Dam (also known as Upper Elwha Dam[1]), built in 1927, is a 210-foot (64 m) high concrete arch dam that forms Lake Mills 13 miles (21 km) upstream from the Elwha River's mouth.
Lacking passage for migrating salmon, its construction blocked access by anadromous salmonids[2] to the upper 38 miles (48 km) of mainstem habitat and more than 30 miles (48 km) of tributary habitat. The Elwha River watershed once supported salmon runs of more than 400,000 adult returns on more than 70 miles (110 km) of river habitat. Today, less than 4,000 adult salmon return each year due to the nets that the Elwha tribe place across the river, thus catching most of the Salmon before they even make it to the first of the two Dams.
The "Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act of 1992" authorized the US Federal Government to acquire the Glines Canyon hydroelectric power projects for decommissioning and demolition for habitat restoration.
The Elwha Ecosystem Restoration project has the dam slated for removal beginning in 2012. Once removed, the area that is currently under Lake Mills will be revegetated and its banks secured to prevent erosion and to speed up ecological restoration.
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  | Glines Canyon Dam Removal Process - Glines Canyon Dam Removal - Elwha River Visualizations - Interactive Earth Web Site Portfolio |
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