Wit,

Yes, there's a lot of fine sediment behind the Elwha dams. The NPS will attempt to stabilize some of it. I read that the vast majority is estimated to be carried to the Strait in the first two years following dam removal. That's if they remove both at the same time. Figure longer if they do it Gorton's way.

And mind you, the sediment issue only applies to the lower Elwha. It's the upper river that will be producing most of the fish just as soon as they have access to it.

Heavy sediment loads are normal to northwest rivers. The best illustration I know of is the South Fork Toutle after St. Helens blew in 1980, depositing a larger sediment load than any dam. The river was closed to fishing for a while after that. By 1986, the South Fork had its largest steelhead returns in recent history. I'm not recommending dams or volcanos as being good for fish, but the sediment issue is vastly less serious to fish restoration than leaving the dams in place, which precludes restoration.

Ya' got to break eggs to make an omelette.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.