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Hardly Visible
Social climber
Llatikcuf WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 4, 2012 - 03:02pm PT
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I posted another thread on this yesterday and it went nowhere aside from Anders posting a link on how to find this one.
So in the interest of sharing exclusive pictures from inside the area closed to the public I'll update this thread also.
Here's a couple of shots of the downstream face of the upper dam.
And here's one looking downstream on the Whiskey Bend road
I have not been to the lower dam since the end of december, but back then
there appeared to be only about 40' remaining on that one.
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Hardly Visible
Social climber
Llatikcuf WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 5, 2012 - 11:57am PT
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I can't believe how little interest there is on this. Sure it might not be in your neighborhood but this is big. What we learn here could lead to the restoration of Hetch Hetchy or perhaps even Glen canyon.
We now return to your regularly scheduled bantering.
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stevep
Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
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Thanks Hardly.
Appreciate the pics as this is a very cool thing to watch unfold.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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I don't think it's a lack of interest, it's more that there is not a lot that one can post. My guess is that most on ST are probably in agreement on the subject of dam removal, and that there's nothing to argue about.
To keep this thread bumped we need someone who feels about dam removal the way Rokjox feels about wolves, or Dr. F feels about republicans. Someone who will scream and rant endlessly about the horrors of dam removal, and how it's all a plot by liberals/conservatives/Wall Street/the Illuminati/aliens/Kalis to enrich themselves at the expense of... You know the tune.
But in this case, there is likely widespread agreement that the damming of rivers in the US went way too far, and that the time has come to try to reverse the damage. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Marc Reisner for bringing the issue to a wide audience with his book Cadillac Desert.
Anyway, even if you don't get a lot of responses, keep bumping. It is important.
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apogee
climber
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Yeah, don't be discouraged...just keep updating us. Just because you don't see anyone reply doesn't mean that the thread isn't being viewed.
That is really fascinating- 40' gone....how much to go? What happens to the decades worth of silt that's been accumlated? It doesn't seem very visible (yet)...is it being dredged or removed?
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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KEEP ALL DAMS
SAVE THE DAMS
DAMS PROVIDE JOBS THAT TRICKLE DOWN
WATER TRICKLES DOWN
LEFT WING CONSERVATIVES WILL RUIN US ALL
BUMP THE THREADS
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Hardly Visible
Social climber
Llatikcuf WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 5, 2012 - 04:03pm PT
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Apogee,
About 170' remains of Glines Canyon. I think the silt problem may have been overstated or misunderstood at the very least. These photos are in what used to be Lake Aldwell and as you can see the river is carving a nice channel thru the sediment leaving most of it high and dry. The photo with my cat shows grasses and willows already trying to reoccupy the site after only a month or two of exposure.
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Hardly Visible
Social climber
Llatikcuf WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 24, 2012 - 11:57am PT
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As of this week lower dam is gone and fish can now get past.
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Srbphoto
climber
Kennewick wa
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Mar 24, 2012 - 12:10pm PT
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OK the cat pics are wrong...so very wrong.
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elcap-pics
Big Wall climber
Crestline CA
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Mar 24, 2012 - 12:23pm PT
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What was the dollar cost of doing this removal?
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Hardly Visible
Social climber
Llatikcuf WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 24, 2012 - 12:29pm PT
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What's wrong with my cat photo? She gives an idea of the size of new grass and willow shoots
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apogee
climber
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Mar 24, 2012 - 01:16pm PT
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That's amazing. Wonder what the long-term rehab plans are...?
ec-p...what's your point?
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Bread
Trad climber
Craggy Mountains, NC
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Mar 25, 2012 - 08:50am PT
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Check out this dam decommisioning in Washington
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLNv8yf1RAc
That's a bunch of sediment. From what I understand, the gradient of the river below the dam is steep and it's a short run to the ocean. Guess those were the mitigating factors in letting the sediment fly.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Mar 25, 2012 - 11:29am PT
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Great video - and really shows the fact that these dams basically just collect enormous amounts of sediment in a short period of time greatly reducing their utility. Even after the water drained vast amounts of highly unstable sediments were left lining the banks. Those will probably be in a constant state of collapse over the next few winters and it will be interesting to see how long it takes for them to either wash away or stabilize. The river is constricted again where it enters the Columbia River and it will also be interesting to see how much of the dam sediment recollects down at that spot.
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elcap-pics
Big Wall climber
Crestline CA
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Mar 25, 2012 - 11:32am PT
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I have no point Silver... just wondering what it costs to remove such a dam.
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Daphne
Trad climber
Mill Valley, CA
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Mar 25, 2012 - 01:31pm PT
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Love the cat pic. Thanks for the thread.
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Hardly Visible
Social climber
Llatikcuf WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 1, 2012 - 03:30pm PT
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Here ya go let me know with a TFPU (or any response for that matter) if ya find this more interesting than why Bluering hates everybody.
It has been awhile since the last update, here is the state of affairs as of 10/20/12
Aldwell dam 9/30/11
The following photo was taken on 10/24/12 from where the red x is in the above shot
Glines Canyon dam in its glory days
Glines Canyon 10/20/12 only about 25' of 217' remains
See ya all on page 2 or 3 in short order
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Thanks for the update - really good to see some successful dam removals setting a precedent for more of the same in the future.
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