Elwha ecosystem and fisheries restoration permit coordination package: Pre-application information package
National Park Service. 1995. Elwha ecosystem and fisheries restoration permit coordination package: Pre-application information package
Two hydropower dams, Elwha Dam at River Mile (RM) 4.9 completed in 1912 and Glines Canyon Dam at RM 13.5 built in 1926, were constructed on the Elwha River. The dams have blocked all 10 species of anadromous salmon and trout from over 70 miles of quality river habitat for the past 84 years and seriously degraded the spawning and rearing habitat to the undammed portion of the river. The dams originally supplied power for the City of Port Angeles; now they supply only about one-third of the power used for the Diashowa paper mill. The U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) proposes to fully restore the Elwha River ecosystem and native anadromous fisheries by decommissioning and removing the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams. This would involve removing all necessary structures (including all or part of both dams),powerhouses, reservoirs created by dam construction, and associated facilities.