VANCOUVER, Wash. – Work is under way to remove the Condit Dam in southwest Washington and restore salmon and steelhead habitat on the White Salmon River.
The 125-foot tall dam was built in 1913 about three miles from the Columbia River.
The Columbian reports that PacifCorp decided in 1999 to remove the dam rather than build expensive fish passage structures it would have needed for relicensing.
The 92-acre reservoir behind the dam, Northwestern Lake, has been lowered. Workers moved into place Monday to start drilling and blasting through the 90-foot thick base of the dam. The final breach in the $32 million dam removal project is planned for late October.
