It’s not often this Rat gets to commune with his fellow
bank-dwellers, let alone a horde of 750 of them. But that’s exactly what
happened two weeks ago, when river rats from all over the country—the world,
actually—converged in Portland, Oregon.
What, beyond an appearance by the Pied Piper himself, could
attract so many from so far—a 20-year Limburger, perhaps? (Definitely…but not this time.) In this case, we gathered for River Rally an
annual celebration of river and environmental victories hosted by the River Network and (for the first time)
the Waterkeeper Alliance. It was the
largest international gathering of river rats to date. To the terror of some,
it appears that we river rats are multiplying. Rapidly.
Time and time again over the weekend, Rat heard
inspirational tales of countless steadfast and dedicated river rats, toiling
away to protect their local river, stream, bay, sound, or slough. Many of them,
it appears, are winning these battles, and we rightly celebrated them with good
food and drink, sometimes until the wee hours of morning. But even this
party-loving Rat needs a break from the reveling, so I stole away up the
Columbia River Gorge to see the recently-uncovered new digs of the White Salmon
River.
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| The former site of Northwestern Lake--now the free-flowing White Salmon River--1/4 mile upstream of the breached Condit Dam. |
The White Salmon, as you may have heard, is just about tops
for recent river success stories. It, combined with its Washington brethren the
Elwha River, represents the largest dam removal effort to date in the nation. The
White Salmon enters the mighty Columbia River—historically known for its epic salmon
and steelhead runs—about 25 miles upstream of the Bonneville Dam, the lowest
dam on the Columbia. The narrow canyons and raging rapids of the White Salmon
are a powerful force, so much so that you humans decided to plop a hydropower
dam on it (as you like to do, it seems).
The Condit Dam, built in 1913, had long lost its maximum
power-generating capacity over its 100-year lifespan, due the buildup of an
estimated 2,300,000 cubic yards of sediment that reduced reservoir storage by
60% (Steve Stampfli, Condit Hydroelectric
Project, Information Series, Sheet 1). Additionally, the dam’s owner, PacificCorp,
in order to obtain a new Federal Energy Regulatory Committee (FERC) license,
would have been required (per the Endangered Species Act) to get salmon and
steelhead past the 125-foot dam, to access native spawning grounds upstream.
Between the cost of facility upgrades and lost reservoir storage, maintaining
the dam as a hydropower facility was seen as unprofitable, and PacificCorp removed
the dam this past October (culiminating years of discussion and planning
efforts). Do yourself a favor and watch the stunning timelapse video of the breaching of the dam,
taken by fellow river rats Andy Maser and Steve Stampfli, posted below.
Today, the White Salmon runs with all of the unbridled force
and energy that a wild river should. The river has scoured through about 50
feet of sediment that was formerly lakebed to return to its original riverbed
from 100 years ago. With a big spring snowmelt and runoff event in the next
couple years, possibly along with some help from PacificCorp, it should wipe
out much of the unsightly sediment on its banks in due time. PacificCorp will
also revegetate the remaining sediment banks over the next two years, and
maintain the site for the next ten years (Stampfli, Condit Hydroelectric Project, Information Series, Sheet 3).
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| Bank erosion is significant on Little Buck Creek, once a 'finger' of Northwestern Lake and now a tributary to the White Salmon. Note the dock protruding from the bank, and the section of dock lying on the bank ten feet below. |
Rat spent a perfect May afternoon nosing around the banks of
the river in the area upstream of the now-breached Condit Dam, at the former
site of Northwestern Lake (in an area once known as “Jaws Canyon” prior to the construction
of the dam). Notable were stumps of massive trees along the riverbank that were
removed 100 years ago (because you can’t have trees growing up through the
surface of an impoundment). Though the landscape still bears a somewhat traumatized
appearance, its scars are only temporary…but its rejuvenation is eternal, and
unmistakable.
Rat, not normally a mystical sort, was roused by the aura
and vitality of this renewed place. It holds a sacred feeling, the kind usually
ascribed only to houses of worship or holy sites. But here, below towering
Douglas firs and western red cedars, the divine waters of the White Salmon run
free again. For the first time in 100 years, it will beckon forth the return of
coho salmon, spring and fall Chinook salmon, and steelhead trout runs, which form
the life-giving base of the entire Pacific Northwest foodweb. Their inevitable return
will signify a miracle of its own kind, rivaled by few others Rat has ever encountered.
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| Massive stumps, relics from tree removal efforts 100 years ago during construction of the Condit Dam, mark the former (original) riverbank. |
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