Sandy River - Marmot Dam removal - final version

[jda1961]

hippies

[NotSoOldHippy]

God damned fucking dam.

[a2dpo]

@NotSoOldHippy

hahhaaa u made my day man

[NotSoOldHippy]

@a2dpo LOL! Well, I hate dams. Glenn Canyon Dam I hate the worse. Edward Abbey had Seldom Seen Smith walk out on that dam, kneel down, and pray for a precision earthquake to remove that horrible ecological disaster, prompting the park service's security to come over and tell him that there shall be no praying to god on the dam. LOL.

[cannoir]

@NotSoOldHippy the hoover Dam is beautiful.

[bebeinpa]

And during the next flood who gets sued?

[SeedyWhiskers]

Fish ladders are not the same as a free flowing river from the standpoint of a migrating fish. The dam also had negative effects on the flow regime and the temperature of the water. Improvement and recertification of the dam would've cost more than the power generation was worth. It was an out-of-date structure. It was a good PR decision for PGE, but it was also a good environmental and financial decision. Fish ladders, indeed! It's like saying a rope is as easy to climb as a set of stairs

[Wonderfulness]

Fish have always passed this dam. It's sad how the impression was made that they couldn't.

Most proponents are kayakers and fishermen that look to gain more recreational opportunities above the site. New rules prove this by opening the gorge to bait fishermen and increasing roads and trails to allow increased access to the river.

Restoration, or a different exploitation?

[rewealthy]

I'm not familiar with this dam. How did the fish get past it?

[maskedpersuader]

Modern fish ladders.

Whenever there were new improvements developed in ladder "technology", PGE made them. I've swam with very large salmon in the Salmon River above Brightwood, near my home.

This was a "feel good" decision, and a good PR move by PGE, more than a requirement for fish run restoration.

[Wonderfulness]

maskedpersuader hit it on the head of the nail.

[rewealthy]

That might be accurate regarding the salmon, but it's best not to get too laser-focused on a species. It's not just commercially-valuable, popular animals that move up and down a river. The fish ladders I've seen do nothing for the thousands of other vertebrate and invertebrate species. Throw in the sediment trapping and the pH/oxygen alterations, and a broader, scientifically-informed view will show that the dam removal probably will probably yield hundreds long-term benefits.

[Wonderfulness]

The maskedpersuader hit it on the nail.

[kayakcraig]

What a great thing to see an obsolete dam get removed and the salmon runs restored! Gives me hope for humanity.American Rivers gets my donations every year.

Great work in removing the Marmot Dam!