Pend Oreille County dam removal begins

METALINE FALLS, Wash. – Sullivan Creek will run wild again this fall after being harnessed for over 100 years by the Mill Pond Dam, about 3.5 miles east of Metaline Falls in northern Pend Oreille County. After years of debate and study, a couple of dozen workers and heavy equipment were on the project site in the Colville National Forest the first week of August. They began work on the two-year project before a planned winter shutdown. The most significant phase this year is removing the 134-foot-long, 55-foot-high concrete dam. The staged removal will gradually release the 64-acre Mill Pond down Sullivan Creek from September through November. The project started with staging area preparations and the construction of an upstream electric weir to stop native fish from entering the project area. Water quality monitoring devices were also placed. Channel and upland grading will be done as while the dam is being demolished...more