Last month, the Washington Department of Ecology issued the water quality permit needed to remove Condit Dam on the White Salmon River. The permit is a major milestone and is the final step before issuance of a dam removal order by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is expected later this year. Once removed, the dam will restore several miles of whitewater and allow the White Salmon’s namesake fish to recover from the brink of extinction.

The Wild & Scenic White Salmon River is one of the Pacific Northwest’s gems—very few other rivers in the country boast 365 days of vertical class V, commercial class III and IV rafting, class I floating, and ideal salmon spawning habitat. Condit dam allows no fish passage, so migrating salmon and steelhead have been cut off from this habitat since the dam was constructed.

Austin Rathman proving that Condit can be good for paddlers... (from Gorge Hits)

American Whitewater has been working with local conservation groups for nearly a decade to make this a reality. AW’s Tom O’Keefe had this to say: “We believe that removal of Condit Dam will have a positive benefit on fishery resources, recreational opportunities, and cultural resources of the White Salmon River and we are thrilled with today's issuance by the State Department of Ecology that was essential to moving this process forward.”

The dam removal itself, which could happen as early as next October, will be as dramatic as they come--a crew will divert the water around the dam site, drill a hole in the bottom of the dam, pack it full of explosives, and blow it up.

I’m definitely excited to explore the new stretch of river and celebrate the return of spawning salmon and steelhead! (fingers crossed for next fall)


Andy Maser
Team D