http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003678478_elwha24m.html
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Removal is now set for 2012 (pushed back 3 more years). Can't say I'm surprised. The article blames the delay primarily on logistics. Sure is easy to build dams.

Yeah... another typical delay. Our government in action. Our government inaction.

This was approved 14 years ago!

I'm sure this won't be the last delay. There seem to be people that are still hoping the dams never come down and they will drag their feet wherever possible.

Sigh!

GD MF'n GFN SOB's

Lame... That will be a cool friggin river again when they blow the dams. It will take a while, but it will be worth it!

LOL.... F me! And you want to tackle global warming??? Soooo Laughing! (Not really.....it's damn pathetic)

I talked with someone just the other day that had to leave that area because he was waiting on the dam removal...he said that it kept getting pushed back an he finally had to move on to another project...his daugter i think is working on it now..i belive that he said the main reason is that they were going to remove the lower dam first and then the upper dam after (or vise virsa) and then they switched to the oppisite....now i belive that he said that they were going to do them at the same time...but kinda neat (if you are into this enviromental suff) i have not fished here so i dont know...but he said that the rocks in the area are all very flat...he said that there is not a lot of sediment in this river which is a problem for the salmon...he said that when they do take the dams out all of the sediment and the rocks are all flat(kinda like a halibut)...so that means that the sediment will travel a lot farther than they projected which in turn will be a good thing...it was interesting to me...but i am easily amused if it has to do with rivers or fishing...hahhaha...c

It's a shame, but not a surprise in the least.. I honestly believe I'll be lucky to fish that river for steelhead and salmon in the upper reaches in my lifetime the rate they are going...

I cant wait til they take out those concrete monsters. The lower Elwha was barely fishable this winter because of the silt that follows a spit of rain. One storm can put that river for weeks on end. It's too bad that they close it at the end of February it was looking prime a couple days ago...

It's not that they didn't know or have a minimal amount of knowledge about the need for water treatment, etc when they started the program. It's turning into a job security program with the studies being done. It's not going to get any cheaper, either and that will probably cause more delays.....

You sure nailed that one, Dave...

Congress approves 14yrs ago, 5 more years before they'll "Begin"!!! That's 19-20years from the time the decision was made until it BEGINS. Add a few years to flush silt & a few 4yr cycles (see Toutle post st.helens) on top of that to build/strengthen runs & were talking about 40+ years.....nearly a lifetime! (to remove a couple decrepit dams.)
Ditto to Slab & Doc's replies. What an absolute embarrassing & frustrating cluster*@#. Can we get some leaders who'll nut up....for the sake of the future.......puhleeeze?

Man I'm pissed. I don't understand how they get away with crap like this. I'm willing to start a pool with $1,000 to buy explosives and get the job done ourselves.

i was thinking its only a matter of time, especially being inbetween forks and pa, that someone goes down there and blows it up them selves....i'm guessing i'll be 35 before i catch my first steelhead above highway 101

If and when, lets make it a point to have one hell of a party when it does come down....hopefully in the summer and do a little Sekiu fishing while we celebrate.

Anybody got any C4? I think we can improve on the timeline.

lovetofish365: I think you mis-heard your friend speak. There is a HUGE amount of sediment built-up behind the dams, and sediment renders the habitat useless to anadromous fish.

The amount of local buracracy we deal with in moving civil engineering projects forward is daunting enough, I can't even imagine dealing with the Feds on a project with as many entanglements as are associated with dam removal. So give-em a break. At least they are moving forward.

Sol,

Most of the delays are procedural, not technical. I'll extend anybody a break while they research a technical solution to a problem. Most things procedural are straight forward; the rest is paralysis by analysis. Nobody deserves a break for being afraid or unwilling to make a decision. Making decisions leaves marks on resumes.

Sg

i agree with you Sol..i thought about that for a while..it was really interesting listing to him talk about it...i know that he was saying that the sediment was in the shape of the rocks...that seams very strange to me...maybe that is why the river clouds up so fast and stays that way longer....c

An old surgeon I trained under used to always ask the resident docs, "So what? You gonna fish or cut bait?"

The gov't is in a perpetual state of cutting bait.