Washington Dams With Fishery or Recreation Issues

Posted: 08/19/2018

By: Thomas O'Keefe

Several dams in Washington State have known issues impacting fishery resources or river-based recreation. Some represent partial or complete barriers to fish passage that should be addressed; additionally impacts to geomorphology degrade habitat for fishery resources at many of these dams. In other cases the primary impact of the dam is on river-based recreation where the dam represents a hazard to navigation or public safety. Some of these dams may be candidates for removal while others could be modified to eliminate or reduce impacts. Several successful dam removals are also included in this story map.

American Whitewater has developed a Story Map to show where these dams are located with a photo and basic overview.

View Story Map

Examples of dams with impacts included on map are the Middle Fork Nooksack Dam, Rocky Creek Dam on a tributary of the Baker River, Buckley Dam on the White River, Electron Dam on the Puyallup River, Chambers Creek Dam, 5th Avenue Dam on the Deschutes River, Enloe Dam on Similkameen River, Tumwater Dam on the Wenatchee River, Nelson Dam on the Yakima River, and the Lower Snake River Dams. Examples of dams that have been removed include two dams on the Elwha River, Condit Dam on the White Salmon River, Mill Pond Dam on Sullivan Creek, and others.

Thomas O'Keefe

3537 NE 87th St.

Seattle, WA 98115

E-mail: okeefe@americanwhitewater.org

Phone: 425-417-9012

Full Profile

Associated Rivers

Elwha WA

1. Grand Canyon V

Elwha WA

2. Glines Canyon to Highway 101 II-III(IV)

Elwha WA

3. Highway 101 to river mouth (ocean surf) II-III(IV)

Nooksack, Middle Fork WA

Clearwater Creek to Heisters Creek V

Pilchuck River WA

1-Road P-500 above Boulder Creek to Menzel Lake Road Bridge III+(IV)

Puyallup WA

1 - Niesson Creek to Electron V

Similkameen WA

Palmer Lake to Oroville I-II(III)

Snake WA

L) Lewiston to Columbia River I

Sullivan Creek WA

1. Mill Pond to N. Fork Sullivan (Upper) II

Sullivan Creek WA

2. N. Fork Sullivan to Hwy 31 (Gorge) V

White Salmon WA

5 - Buck Creek to Columbia River (Lower Gorge) II-III+(V)

White WA

3. Buckley to Auburn (Lower) II

Documents

Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery and Task Force letter (8/19/2018)

Overview of opportunities to address impacts of dams that impact salmon and navigation.

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Washington Dams With Fishery or Recreation Issues

Thomas O'Keefe

Associated Projects

Elwha Restoration (WA)

Puyallup Watershed (WA)

Similkameen River (BC/WA)

Snake River Restoration (ID, OR, WA)

White Salmon Restoration (WA)

Associated Rivers

Documents

Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery and Task Force letter (8/19/2018)

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