Work begins to remove dam in Washington's Wind River Watershed

Preparations began this week to remove Hemlock Dam on Trout Creek in Washington's Wind River Watershed, a project that conservationists say will help restore native fish runs and educate the public about rivers and the wildlife they support. The project, directed by American Rivers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will eliminate a 26-foot-high dam that was classified as High Hazard -- one that could threaten lives if it failed. The project covers roughly a 1/2 mile stretch of the creek near the Wind River Nursery north of Carson, Wash. The Mount Adams Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service began rescuing and removing fish from the site this week, the first step to the $2 million project that will continue through the summer. The entire stream flow will be re-routed with pumps and pipes. A thick layer of sediment will be excavated from the shallow reservoir and the dam will be deconstructed. Crews will reconstruct the stream bed, using rocks and logs before returning the stream to its natural channel. Native plants that were salvaged from the site will be replanted...Oregonian