Condit Dam Blown today.

[Huntbear]

Well, I hope you have all your memories of fishing the White Salmon well filed and put away. 

Condit Dam was blown today, and with all the sediment released, and the inter tribal fishing taking "their share" of future salmon runs, not going to be much available for us working folks to have memory making excursions there anymore.

I fished at the mouth there many times, caught some good fish, lost some better fish...

A link to the live video feed.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/10/condit_dam_breached_by_pacific.html

[beagledog]

Caught my first steelhead there in 1987 . I was a seven year old kid at the time.

[pianoman9701]

Here's a video:

http://blip.tv/yakimaherald/video-from-the-condit-dam-breach-5679941

[WAcoyotehunter]

That should open up some nice river miles to salmon returns. 

[pianoman9701]

Well, I hope you have all your memories of fishing the White Salmon well filed and put away. 

Condit Dam was blown today, and with all the sediment released, and the inter tribal fishing taking "their share" of future salmon runs, not going to be much available for us working folks to have memory making excursions there anymore.

I fished at the mouth there many times, caught some good fish, lost some better fish...

A link to the live video feed.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/10/condit_dam_breached_by_pacific.html

All due respects, I'm not sure about your post being correct, Hunbear. The whole purpose of this is to improve salmon runs down the road. The power has been replaced by Bonneville, so there's no loss there. I don't see a negative here.

[runamuk]

the people promoting this had no good answers to how much damage the silt would do how many fish would be lost, how long it would take to recover, were any recovery efforts suck as tree falling etc...all they had was the rhetoric about returning the river to its natural state and they were gonna move a few salmon above the dam 

I am all for more natural rivers we really need to restore the columbia .....and returning them but not without having some idea of the impact both immediate and future 

[quadrafire]

I'm sure that muddied the water downstream for a ways. How far was this dam from the mouth?
What do you think it will do for the fishing in the next few days until the debris stream settles out?

[WAcoyotehunter]

The federal licensing process is pretty tough.  I am 100% sure the utility went through the ringer in this planning process and blew the dam at the right time of year, right flows, and with fish loss in mind.  The silt will settle out pretty quickly and the White Salmon has the hydraulic capacity to cut a natural channel and look pretty good in a hurry.  I think it will be quicker than most people would expect. 

[predatorpro]

its all a waste of tax payers money...

[runamuk]

The federal licensing process is pretty tough.  I am 100% sure the utility went through the ringer in this planning process and blew the dam at the right time of year, right flows, and with fish loss in mind.  The silt will settle out pretty quickly and the White Salmon has the hydraulic capacity to cut a natural channel and look pretty good in a hurry.  I think it will be quicker than most people would expect.

thats all good and well but why couldnt they answer those simple questions?  that bothers me when all they seemed to know was it was environmentally friendly 

My stepmom writes EIS she does studies and I was exposed to this process while growing up I am not naive to what is involved ....I realize many think I am just an ignorant blonde sometimes....but I wanted to hear how this would impact the area and they did not have any answers.....much like the people supporting grizzly recovery in the cascades who stand fast to their 20 grizzlies in the state...and how we need more hate to tell them we have more lots more...its this stuff that bothers me...people see the glossy flyer with a pretty picture and a happy fish and buy the whole thing hook line and sinker....wild salmon and steelhead runs are great for the people allowed to catch them she didnt have any answers for that line of questioning either....

[Wazukie]

I'm sure that there was a lot of thought that went into this.  There was a lot of silt that went down stream.  I'm sure that if there were spawning salmon in the lower river, there will be loss.  Before the blast they transferred 600 adults above the dam.  Only time will tell what will happen to the fishery.  Nature has a nack at recovery sometimes if we just get out of the way.  I know that all access to the river is closed until further notice.

[BigGoonTuna]

i wouldn't worry too much about temporary silt flows.  just look at the toutle river after st. helens blew.  the south fork eventually cleared up(and it runs gin clear now), the north fork is muddy because the corps of engineers built a retention dam that prevents the silt from getting washed downstream.

[runamuk]

i wouldn't worry too much about temporary silt flows.  just look at the toutle river after st. helens blew.  the south fork eventually cleared up(and it runs gin clear now), the north fork is muddy because the corps of engineers built a retention dam that prevents the silt from getting washed downstream.

just curious how long did it take to clear the silt in that instance does anyone know? 

[WAcoyotehunter]

I don't have any idea about that system Muk.  I know that the dams (silt collectors) are really bad for fish and inverts.  Streams have amazing sediment movement ability.  I would hazard a guess (not knowing much about that particular system) that the sediment would be moved in matter of weeks.  There are some complex models that would be really accurate.  They involve sediment size and amount, slope, flow....I bet someone has ran them and has an idea.  I'll look into it more and get back. 

[pianoman9701]

its all a waste of tax payers money...

Apparently, building the dam in the first place was the waste. We didn't need the power.

[cannon-master]

to bad after the river gets back to normal and fish are returning they wont let anybody fish above the hwy 14 bridge thats not a native american enrolled in the yakima indian nation tribal fishing only on the white now.

[pianoman9701]

to bad after the river gets back to normal and fish are returning they wont let anybody fish above the hwy 14 bridge thats not a native american enrolled in the yakima indian nation tribal fishing only on the white now.

Yes, that blows.

[WAcoyotehunter]

is that true?  It does suck if that's the case- but the fish will be moving through and available in some portions...?

http://www.pacificorp.com/es/hydro/hl/condit.html#  runamuk- here is a link with a TON of info about the removal.  The sediment plan does not have a timeline, but it has some cool info about flows, headcuts, banks... 

[PlateauNDN]

Sorry for the answers but in my eyes this is a really good thing.  When I was younger I used to hear my grandfather tell stories about fishing that river prior to the dam being built and he along with many others championed for the dam to be removed.  The cemetary that is near there is where his side of the family is buried and his last surviving brother was buried there but due to the weather he was not able to be buried in his family cemetary but along the river none the less.  I used to drive him up to that area at least twice a month so he may relive his childhood and I wish he was still alive today to see the removal of this dam.  I have one surviving elder, my grandmother and she was born and raised along the klickitat river and in this particular area and to hear her happiness about the removal of this dam made me proud but, her happiness turned to sorrow as she remembers her older brother who did not make it to see this day.

I'm sorry this is not what some want to here but it is how I feel and I'm sticking to it.

[WAcoyotehunter]

Sorry for the answers but in my eyes this is a really good thing.  When I was younger I used to hear my grandfather tell stories about fishing that river prior to the dam being built and he along with many others championed for the dam to be removed.  The cemetary that is near there is where his side of the family is buried and his last surviving brother was buried there but due to the weather he was not able to be buried in his family cemetary but along the river none the less.  I used to drive him up to that area at least twice a month so he may relive his childhood and I wish he was still alive today to see the removal of this dam.  I have one surviving elder, my grandmother and she was born and raised along the klickitat river and in this particular area and to hear her happiness about the removal of this dam made me proud but, her happiness turned to sorrow as she remembers her older brother who did not make it to see this day.

I'm sorry this is not what some want to here but it is how I feel and I'm sticking to it.

That's great- I think it's a good thing too.  Using common sense and removing a few of the lower production dams is ok.  Hopefully with fish ladders and other tools we can have fish/power/wild rivers for everyone to enjoy.

[boneaddict]

Hell, I thought it was a good thing.  I figured it whiped all spawning or eggs that have been layed this fall.  Might not be much of a run in 4 years.    Hopefully and it sounds like they did....some sort of compensation of that big whipeout. 

[Special T]

Some dams may need to go, even tho i don't really like the idea. No matter how we get energy we are going to impart our surrounding environment. What kind of power production impacts it least? I believe it is hydro. I think the retro fitting of dams with ladders is great, however it creates another set of problems like sealions and other predators using the ladders as hunting grounds because it concentrates the fish. It is sure stupidity to talk about blowing dams that make power and promote efficient transportation when we let predators, that ain't endangered, affect the best power source there is.   
PS i realize that sealions were not an issue since there was no ladder on that dam.

[JimmyHoffa]

its all a waste of tax payers money...

Apparently, building the dam in the first place was the waste. We didn't need the power.

Wasn't this done with corporate money?  Remove the 100 year old dam or build fish ladders that went up 125 feet. 

[PlateauNDN]

its all a waste of tax payers money...

Apparently, building the dam in the first place was the waste. We didn't need the power.

Wasn't this done with corporate money?  Remove the 100 year old dam or build fish ladders that went up 125 feet.

Correct.  I believe it was 35 million by the corporation to remove the dam and they said it would cost more than twice the amount to put in the ladders so for them it was cheaper to remove.

[Knocker of rocks]

its all a waste of tax payers money...

Apparently, building the dam in the first place was the waste. We didn't need the power.

Wasn't this done with corporate money?  Remove the 100 year old dam or build fish ladders that went up 125 feet.

Bingo

[pianoman9701]

The dam was built with money from Northwest Electric and private investors from Crown paper originally to power the Camas paper mill. The  cost of re-certifying the dam would've been over $100 million. The cost to demolish it and dredge the remnants of Northwestern Lake is $32 million.

[oldcamper]

There are some others that they have removed the dam on. Up in the schookumchuck area and the Salmon and river have returned faster then they first antisapated. The Salmon  are also getting larger.   

[Huntbear]

to bad after the river gets back to normal and fish are returning they wont let anybody fish above the hwy 14 bridge thats not a native american enrolled in the yakima indian nation tribal fishing only on the white now.

Again... us "non natives" get screwed.   

[swampman]

Quote from: cannon-master on October 27, 2011, 09:02:01 AM
to bad after the river gets back to normal and fish are returning they wont let anybody fish above the hwy 14 bridge thats not a native american enrolled in the yakima indian nation tribal fishing only on the white now.                                 

Again... us "non natives" get screwed.   
Ficken communists! They won't be happy till all the dams are down!

[Boss .300 winmag]

to bad after the river gets back to normal and fish are returning they wont let anybody fish above the hwy 14 bridge thats not a native american enrolled in the yakima indian nation tribal fishing only on the white now.

cannon master where do you get this info from? Me and my brother used to pack sack lunches and disapear all day playing on those side hills west of the dam, when the salmon were running we spent hours watching them stack up in front of the dam thinking what a waste.

[270Shooter]

to bad after the river gets back to normal and fish are returning they wont let anybody fish above the hwy 14 bridge thats not a native american enrolled in the yakima indian nation tribal fishing only on the white now.

are you serious?

[Yak-NDN]

to bad after the river gets back to normal and fish are returning they wont let anybody fish above the hwy 14 bridge thats not a native american enrolled in the yakima indian nation tribal fishing only on the white now.

cannon master where do you get this info from? Me and my brother used to pack sack lunches and disapear all day playing on those side hills west of the dam, when the salmon were running we spent hours watching them stack up in front of the dam thinking what a waste.

sounds like he is talking chit to me.

[blacktail luv]

There was a hellacious amount of silt behind that damn and still is.  The mouth is just about completely filled in.  The river has cut about a 50' channel up through "northwestern lake"  just about to the bridge.  Its pretty impressive to see.  You can't even see the water from that banks of what use to be the lake because it has ate down so far.

[Knocker of rocks]

to bad after the river gets back to normal and fish are returning they wont let anybody fish above the hwy 14 bridge thats not a native american enrolled in the yakima indian nation tribal fishing only on the white now.

cannon master where do you get this info from? Me and my brother used to pack sack lunches and disapear all day playing on those side hills west of the dam, when the salmon were running we spent hours watching them stack up in front of the dam thinking what a waste.

sounds like he is talking chit to me.

 

[Huntbear]

There are no hatchery fish on this river, never have been.  So all the fish that are caught by "sportsmen" with rod and reel are only the fish that pull into the mouth to get some cooler cleaner water and to rest.  However, we WERE allowed to fish in a boat upstream towards the dam.

According to the people I talked to about the dam, the natives will be able to net the river above the Hwy. 14 bridge, so that means taking WILD fish that no one else can even take out of the water for pictures.  No one will be allowed to fish above Hwy 14 EXCEPT "natives".  So yes, us "non natives" get screwed.  IF the Yakamas were truly concerned about restoring the wild salmon runs, they would never put another gill net in the river... but it is not about that.  As usual it is about the money of selling salmon.. not feeding your family...

[blacktail luv]

There are actually hatchery fish on this river.  They plant both summer and winter run steelhead on it.  I believe the washougal hatchery brings a truck load and dumps them up the river.

[spookgus]

I don't like to see smaller private installations being regulated into closure and the government ran BPA(US Dept of Energy) soaking up the new revenue. How much of the U.S. infrastructure and manufacturing will be destroyed by the environmental movement?

My avatar is a picture of my kids with some of their steelhead from the White Salmon.

[Naches Nightmare]

Does anyone have any photos of the mouth and just about the bridge?