Restoring a Northwest jewel

Hemlock Dam's removal victory for steelhead, those who love nature

Sunday, July 19 | 1:00 a.m.

BY CRAIG LYNCH

Enrollees from Company 944 at Camp Hemlock, near Carson, stand atop the newly finished Hemlock Dam in 1936. The 183-foot dam stretches across Trout Creek, a main tributary of the Wind River. (Files/The Columbian)

Like many other Northwesterners, I am one of those people who never tires of spending a day on the river. While I'm usually on the rivers fishing and boating, I've also been known to river-snorkel to support local fisheries research. This month, one of the most-loved watersheds in the Northwest is being restored by the removal of Hemlock Dam. Local construction crews are already busy at the site, and the removal of the dam is starting this month.

Hemlock Dam is located in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and stretches 183 feet across Trout Creek, one of the Wind River's main tributaries north of Carson. The dam was built in 1935 to store irrigation water for the Wind River Nursery, which closed in 1997. When the nursery closed, the dam's purpose disappeared but its problems did not.

Hemlock Dam has had a significant impact on threatened lower Columbia River steelhead since its construction. The outdated fish passage system creates nearly insurmountable obstacles for the basin's steelhead population, and the steelhead that attempt to migrate past the dam are consistently maimed and killed by the archaic structure. If fish do make it through the inadequate passage system, they contend with high temperatures in the still waters of the reservoir that reach levels fatal to steelhead in the summer.

The Forest Service owns and operates Hemlock Dam and decided to remove it because it no longer serves its intended purpose, and its removal allows for the recovery of wild steelhead that are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Hemlock Dam removal is one of the high points of fish recovery in the Northwest, and it's happening right in our backyard. Incidentally, it is the first dam being removed by the Forest Service in the Pacific Northwest.

The Forest Service has done an impressive job of planning the project and raising the funds to make it a reality. Unlike other dam removal projects in the region, the Forest Service opted for a more conservation-oriented approach and decided to dredge the sediment behind the dam before the dam structure is removed. This cautious approach is appreciated by fishermen like me as well as local community members who think this might allow for speedier recovery of the area after the deconstruction.

Many of us have had our eye on this project for years and have wholeheartedly supported the innovative restoration projects that the Forest Service has already finished upstream from the dam — meaning that extremely good fish habitat already exists upstream from the reservoir for returning fish. We have also supported the intensive research on fish populations that has been conducted in the area, and we have supported removing the dam since it was first considered years ago.

Reason to celebrate

The day is finally here, and we are celebrating the removal of Hemlock Dam to restore wild steelhead populations because the Trout Creek tributary historically produced up to 40 percent of the Wind River's steelhead. This is one of the reasons the project is expected to have a very positive impact on steelhead recovery.

In my opinion, the Wind River is one of the very best fly-fishing rivers in the area and it will only get better when the dam is removed and wild fish once again have natural passage to their spawning grounds. Even if you don't fish, there is nothing quite like having a picnic or relaxing in the shade of a big maple tree on the side of rushing creek.

So this July as we celebrate everything that makes our country special, we can also celebrate a turning point in the recovery of threatened steelhead and the restoration of one of the Northwest's most cherished watersheds.

For the latest updates on Trout Creek restoration and Hemlock Dam removal, please visit: www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/04projects/hemlock-dam/removal/.

A live Web camera has been set up at the site, so even you can't visit, you'll be able to watch the project happening.
Craig Lynch of Ridgefield is a member of the Clark-Skamania Flyfishers.