Glines Canyon Dam

Glines Canyon Dam
Name	Glines Canyon Dam
Location	Elwha River, Jefferson County, Washington, Washington (state)
Status	Removed (2014)
Construction	1925–1927
Opening	1927
Removal	2011–2014
Owner	Crown Zellerbach; later Glines Hydro; City of Port Angeles
Dam type	Masonry gravity
Height	210 ft (64 m)
Length	550 ft (168 m)
Reservoir	Lake Mills (Washington)
Plant capacity	13 MW (two units)

Glines Canyon Dam Glines Canyon Dam was a masonry gravity hydroelectric dam on the Elwha River in Olympic National Park near Port Angeles, Washington. Built in the 1920s to provide power for regional industry and communities, it impounded Lake Mills and operated alongside the lower Elwha Dam until removal started in 2011 and concluded in 2014. The removal project is one of the largest dam removals and river restoration efforts in North American history, involving multiple federal, tribal, state, and local actors.

History

Construction of the dam began after water-rights and development interests associated with timber and pulp enterprises sought reliable power sources for mills in Port Angeles, Washington and for industrial concerns tied to Crown Zellerbach. The dam was completed in 1927 amid negotiations involving the City of Port Angeles and private utilities. Throughout the 20th century, conflicts arose among stakeholders including the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Washington State Department of Ecology, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and proponents of hydropower such as Seattle City Light and regional cooperative utilities. Environmental litigation and policy debates intensified in the 1980s and 1990s with involvement from advocacy groups like American Rivers, Sierra Club, and academic researchers from University of Washington and Washington State University, culminating in congressional action linked to restoration funding and the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act.

Design and Specifications

The dam was a masonry gravity structure sited in a steep canyon of the Olympic Mountains. Engineering documents referenced design practices used in comparable projects such as Glen Canyon Dam (contrast in scale) and earlier masonry projects in the Pacific Northwest. The impoundment, Lake Mills, inundated upstream gravel beds and side channels of the Elwha, affecting reaches referenced in geomorphological studies by teams from United States Geological Survey and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The powerhouse contained two Francis-type turbines rated to yield a combined capacity of about 13 megawatts; maintenance protocols paralleled those used by operators like Bonneville Power Administration and regional utility engineers trained at institutions such as Oregon State University. Structural assessments by consultants including engineers from US Army Corps of Engineers and firms affiliated with American Society of Civil Engineers informed removal planning.

Operations and Hydroelectric Power

For decades the facility supplied electricity to municipal and industrial customers, integrating into the regional transmission network that connected with Puget Sound Energy and other distributors. Operations included seasonal flow regulation, spillway management, and sediment handling comparable to practices at older facilities such as Elwha Dam and other Pacific Northwest dams documented by Northwest Power and Conservation Council. Revenue and licensing issues were negotiated with agencies including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission prior to removal decisions. Hydropower generation profiles informed economic assessments prepared by analysts from National Renewable Energy Laboratory and economists affiliated with Smithsonian Institution-linked environmental economics programs.

Environmental and Ecological Impact

The dam created a barrier that blocked historic anadromous fish runs for species documented by biologists at National Marine Fisheries Service and researchers associated with University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, including Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, steelhead trout, and native bull trout. Impounded sediments in Lake Mills altered downstream channel morphology studied by teams from US Geological Survey and Washington State Department of Natural Resources. The inundation drowned riparian forests and cultural sites important to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and diverse researchers from Smithsonian Institution and the National Park Service documented shifts in aquatic invertebrate communities and estuarine processes at the river mouth near Strait of Juan de Fuca. Conservation biologists from institutions including The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund cited the dam in broader Pacific Northwest habitat fragmentation analyses.

Removal and Restoration

Removal planning engaged a coalition including the National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and environmental groups such as American Rivers. The Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act provided legislative authority and funding. Deconstruction strategies drew on precedents like Edwards Dam removal on the Kennebec River and sediment management studies from US Geological Survey and University of Montana. Implementation contractors coordinated with tribal stewards and researchers from University of California, Davis and Oregon State University to monitor sediment transport, water quality, and recolonization. Post-removal monitoring involved teams from National Park Service, NOAA Fisheries, USFWS, and academic partners, documenting rapid sediment redistribution, channel evolution, and the return of spawning salmon documented by fisheries biologists at North Pacific Fishery Management Council studies.

Cultural and Legal Issues

The dam’s presence and removal intersected with tribal rights and cultural restoration efforts championed by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, backed by legal instruments including provisions of the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act and consultations under statutes administered by National Historic Preservation Act processes involving the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Litigation histories involved plaintiffs and defendants including state agencies and private owners with filings in federal courts influenced by precedents from cases involving Boldt Decision-era tribal fisheries law and consultations referenced by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Cultural-resource surveys by the National Park Service and tribal historians recorded submerged village sites, shell middens, and other heritage values, leading to collaborative archaeology with institutions such as Smithsonian Institution and regional museums in Seattle and Port Angeles, Washington.

Category:Former dams in the United States Category:Olympic National Park