In 1992, Congress authorized the removal of 2 dams that had blocked salmon for a century. 24 years later, the Elwha River once again flowed freely from the Olympic Mountains to the sea

Elwha River Restoration changed one of America’s most remarkable river recovery stories. Two dams once blocked salmon from reaching upstream habitat in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Their removal reopened more than 70 miles of river and tributary habitat. Salmon began returning soon after the dams came down. The river also regained its natural sediment flow. Today, scientists are watching this ecosystem rebuild itself in real time.