Sunday, September 18, 2011 - Page updated at 05:08 p.m.

The Elwha River: vision of a restored ecosystem

When the dams were constructed, they disabled what was once a chaotic, noisy, life-filled river. The salmon could no longer swim upriver to spawn. Trees were no longer nourished by the nitrogen-rich remains of salmon dragged into the woods by predators and scavengers. Eagles and otters dwindled in the upper reaches. Restoring the river and watershed is a complicated process that could take as long as 100 years. View this graphic as a PDF.

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Have you ever taken a trip to or hiked along the Elwha River? Share your stories and photos with us here.

In 1987, I worked on a project involving the 2 Elwha river dams which included a cost analysis on removing them or keeping them in place. At the...  Posted on September 18, 2011 at 11:01 AM by pnwnative46. Jump to comment

"What will happen when the dam is removed?" Nature will run its course as it has with rivers all over the world for millions of years....  Posted on September 19, 2011 at 11:48 AM by Tri Winning. Jump to comment

@Seadude The power generated by both stations only power 30% of a mill. overall power to the area is less than 5%. This is why its going down....  Posted on September 24, 2011 at 1:44 PM by mz. Jump to comment

• Video: Restoration
• Graphic: Dams
• Photos: Elwha
• Story: Experiment
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