Hemlock Dam, Trout Creek, WA

The 26 foot high Hemlock Dam was located on Trout Creek, a tributary of the Wind River in Washington State. For seventy years this dam blocked passage to 15 miles of upstream habitat for threatened Lower Columbia River steelhead. Hemlock Dam was once used to provide irrigation for a nearby tree nursery, but had lain dormant for many years.

The dam was finally removed during the summer of 2009 by its owner, the U.S. Forest Service. American Rivers contributed funding through our National Partnership with the NOAA Community-based Restoration Program to assist with the design of and removal of this dam. Many other partner groups supported this removal, including Ecotrust, Yakama Nation, Bonneville Power Administration, Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Gifford Pinchot Task Force.

The dam removal has opened up the river and returned it to natural stream flows with cooler water temperatures that will help fish populations survive.  The removal also helps make Trout Creek safer for local citizens. The dam was classified as High Hazard, meaning that if the dam were to fail, there is the potential for loss of life. The removal will also lessen the chances of injury from swimmers jumping off the bridge into the shallow reservoir, or being swept over the dam.

The Hemlock Dam Removal was the first dam removed on Pacific Northwest Forest Service lands.