Elwha River Restoration, Washington State

The removal of two dams on Washington's Elwha River will be one of the most significant river restoration projects of our time.

Background Information:

• River overview and history
• Fact sheet on the Elwha restoration (PDF)
• Frequently asked questions about dam removal (PDF)
• Our national dam removal efforts

Maps & diagrams

• Map of the Elwha River (PDF)
• Diagram of Elwha dam removal (PDF) - from Popular Mechanics, Feb '06

Timelapse animations & movies

Using special computer modeling software, American Rivers has created 3-D photo-realistic visualizations that depict the Elwha valley before, during, and after dam removal. We have extracted a series of movies and animations from the model landscape to help illustrate how the reservoirs will drain, how vegetation will return, and the Elwha River ecosystem will be restored.

View the visualizations

Explore the Elwha

• Watch a video about the Elwha, produced by Earth Tribe TV
• Take a driving tour of the Elwha River and its dams -- Click here for the brochure (PDF)
• Watch the film Unconquering the Last Frontier by Robert Lundahl

Links

• Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe
• Bureau of Reclamation, Elwha project
• Olympic Park Associates
• Olympic Park Institute
• National Parks Conservation Association
• Surfrider Foundation - Olympic Peninsula Chapter
• Clallam County Marine Resources Committee