For First Time In Nearly 100 Years, Sandbars Form At Mouth Of Elwha River As Dams Come Down
PORT ANGELES -- Few people are excited to see a big pile of sand, unless it's a big pile of sand at the mouth of the Elwha River. In a yearlong dam removal and restoration project, scientists observing its progress are witnessing the formation of sandbars at the mouth of the river, a sign of the Elwha's slow return to its natural processes and an indicator of sediment flows that haven't been seen in decades.
"Everybody has been modeling and mapping and anticipating this event for probably 20 years," said Anne Shaffer, a marine biologist and coordinator with a group of scientists, called the Elwha Nearshore Consortium, organized to observe the restoration project.
Shaffer said the formation of sandbars at the river mouth is one of the clearest signs of how much sediment, once locked behind the massive Elwha and Glines Canyon dams, is coursing down the river.
Construction crews have removed the Elwha Dam, which stood for nearly 100 years just south of Port Angeles, and are working toward the final demolition of its bigger brother, the Glines Canyon Dam eight miles upstream, which is slated to be demolished by May.
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