OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — A $593,000 project to replace a culvert with a much larger channel for fish — part of the preparation for the Elwha River dams removal that will begin in 2011 — may create delays for drivers on Olympic Hot Springs Road for the next six weeks.
Preparation for the replacement of the culvert that carries Griff Creek under the Olympic Hot Springs Road at Olympic National Park’s Elwha Ranger Station began Monday, said Barb Maynes, park spokeswoman.
A single-lane bypass will provide continued access to the upper Elwha Valley during the next six weeks of work. Delays of up to 15 minutes should be expected.
The project is intended to provide fish passage to the clear waters of Griff Creek during removal of the Glines Canyon and Elwha dams.
“Considerable silt, sand and other sediment have been held behind the dams for nearly a century and will be released as the dams are removed,” Maynes said.
“The new culvert will allow fish, including threatened bull trout, to access the clear waters of Griff Creek during the dam removal period.”
From 5 to 26 feet
The existing 5-foot-diameter, fish-blocking culvert will be replaced by a 26-foot-diameter bottomless aluminum arch culvert.
The contract also includes protection for the historic Elwha Ranger Station area, revegetation and placement of log jams in Griff Creek.
Watershed Environmental Solutions of Toledo is the contractor for the project, which is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The Department of the Interior received $3 billion. Of that, $750 million in funding is going to the National Park Service.
The Elwha River Restoration project includes the largest dam removal in U.S. history and is one of the largest construction projects in the history of the National Park Service.
Removing two aging dams on the Elwha River will restore the river to its natural free-flowing state and is expected to allow all five species of Pacific salmon and other anadromous fish to once again reach more than 70 miles of pristine freshwater spawning habitat.
“We have designed numerous safeguards to protect and sustain Elwha River fish populations during dam removal and providing fish access to Griff Creek is one of them,” said park Superintendent Karen Gustin.
“Completing the project is one of many things we’re doing this summer to keep us on track for dam removal to begin next year.”
