The largest dam removal in U.S. history took two decades of planning, two dam complexes, the Elwha damn and Glines Canyon Dam located on an important river in Washing state were successfully removed allowing the cold clear waters of the Elwha river to flow freely once again

NOW, after ten years, the results are remarkable, the river is returning to its former glory, fish numbers are steadily bouncing back from near extinction, bears, cougars, bobcats, mink, and other wildlife sustained by the renewed food source have increased in abundance.

Native plants are reclaiming the riverbanks and restored forests are establishing themselves on the emptied reservoirs that were behind the damns

where the river meets the pacific ocean, a new beach has been created by the silt and sand that can now flow freely downstream which had been backed up in the dams for over a century
A new estuary habitat has formed spanning across 120 acres and its increasing year on year

Making the river Elwha dam removal project a true success story and case study in the recovery and restoration of a wild river.

Its only in recent times people are beginning to realize that dams bring more problems than they will solve. They severely damage ecosystems by stopping the movement of migrating fish and blocking silt movements. Hydropower dams flood large areas, force people to relocate, threaten freshwater biodiversity, disrupt subsistence fisheries, and leave rivers dry – substantially affecting the ecosystem. They can completely destroy the natural ecosystems that hundreds of other species depend on. Embankment and concrete dams have a lifespan of about 100 years, and they become dangerous from the pressure of all the water they contain causing costly repairs that are increasingly hard to justify as seen by the recent catastrophic devastation in Libya when ten of thousands of people lost their lives when two damns failed.

Which is why dam removal is surging all cross the U.S. In 2020 69 dams were removed, reconnecting more than 430 upstream river miles across 20 states and since 1912 at least 2,025 dams have been removed.





SUBSCRIBE

@LeafofLifeWorld
@LeafofLifeES
@LeafofLifeMusicOfficial

✍ ENQUIRES contact: [email protected]

_________________________



SUPPORT THE CHANNEL

Support our on the ground impact work at: https://www.leafoflife.news/

Help us share more regenerative stories:
  / leafoflifefilms  

One time donation:
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/Leafo...

_________________________



This video is for education and research purposes

If you are the owner of any of the images please contact us an we can credit or remove the image, THANK YOU

FAIR USE COPYRIGHT NOTICE
The Copyright Laws of the United States recognizes a “fair use” of copyrighted content. Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act states:

“NOTWITHSTANDING THE PROVISIONS OF SECTIONS 106 AND 106A, THE FAIR USE OF A COPYRIGHTED WORK, INCLUDING SUCH USE BY REPRODUCTION IN COPIES OR PHONORECORDS OR BY ANY OTHER MEANS SPECIFIED BY THAT SECTION, FOR PURPOSES SUCH AS CRITICISM, COMMENT, NEWS REPORTING, TEACHING (INCLUDING MULTIPLE COPIES FOR CLASSROOM USE), SCHOLARSHIP, OR RESEARCH, IS NOT AN INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT.”

THIS VIDEO AND OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL IN GENERAL MAY CONTAIN CERTAIN COPYRIGHTED WORKS THAT WERE NOT SPECIFICALLY AUTHORIZED TO BE USED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER(S), BUT WHICH WE BELIEVE IN GOOD FAITH ARE PROTECTED BY FEDERAL LAW AND THE FAIR USE DOCTRINE FOR ONE OR MORE OF THE REASONS NOTED ABOVE.
IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC CONCERNS ABOUT THIS VIDEO OR OUR POSITION ON THE FAIR USE DEFENSE, PLEASE CONTACT US IN THE COMMENTS OR SEND AN EMAIL SO WE CAN DISCUSS AMICABLY. THANK YOU.