A Pacific Northwest dam removal project, said by its owner, the National Park Service, to be the largest of its type in the U.S., is one step closer to beginning after the recent completion of a new water treatment plant in Port Angeles, Wash. NPS officials expect contractors to proceed with dismantling Elwha and Glines Canyon dams on the Olympic Peninsula in 2012.
Congress approved removal of both Elwha River impoundments in 1993. Demolition was scheduled for 2009, until rising costs for the $308-million project delayed the start to 2012.