Deconstructive Surgery

Rating: ***

            This article talks about how the Condit Dam was taken down to make way for the White Salmon River.  The dam had been in place for as long as anyone can remember, and Kayakers from the area had gotten tired of it.  The company who owned the dam, PacifiCorp, blasted away a tunnel through the base of the dam with dynamite.  The original reason for the taking down of the dam was not for sport of any kind, but to let fish pass through.  This dam was part of a plan to take down two dams, the second being the Elwha.  Paddlers were helping the conservationists with the project, as the conservationists wanted to let the salmon head upriver to their breeding grounds again.  The paddlers also got something out of the deal, bigger and better white waters!  Once the Elwha is opened in 2014, a new part of the river will open.  The Condit dam lengthens the river.

            I found this article to be informative.  It told us what we need to know about the event.  I think that this article would be more interesting if I either lived in the area, or participated in kayaking and canoeing more often.

Hollingsworth, Susan. Deconstructive surgery.  Columbia river gorge.  Rapid 2011 Print