The National Park Service keeps no records on the economic effects of its projects, says Lindy Allen, spokeswoman at the Denver Contracting Office, but the ancillary projects necessary for dam removal boosted the local construction economy for several years. Olympic Electric Co., Port Angeles, will help remove some of the pump-house equipment and has worked on construction of a new water treatment plant for the city of Port Angeles as well as a fish hatchery, says Chuck Burkhardt, company president.

The main portion of its work was on the new Port Angeles water treatment plant. “Our contract was $3.5 million—the biggest our company has ever had,” says Burkhardt  The company hired 16 additional employees for the work, which lasted for more than two years.  “Now we are down to only seven electricians,” Burkhardt says.