Elwha Dam Research Paper

When the Elwha Dam was demolished it was the largest controlled sediment release in a dam removal project anywhere in the world. Because of the amount of sediment behind large dams like the Elwha, the demolition must be done gradually over time to ensure that there is not an overflow of sediment rushed down the river which could cause significant damage to the landscape and the organisms which inhabit it. At the time of the dam removal the Elwha was holding behind it 15,000,000 cubic yards of silt. Sediment buildup isn't the only thing that dams can change about the soil. Many geological occurrences have been blamed on dams.
The Earth's crust is lying on top of plates called tectonic plates. When changes in the Earths geological structure occur this may cause the tectonic plates to shift. When these plates shift that will cause the ground above it to move. These events are called earthquakes. The Three Gorges Dam may have been tied to major earthquakes including the one in May of 2008 which killed 87,000 people (Wu 1). The Three Gorges Dam is the largest dam in the world (Wu 1). It is located in China. With all the weight the dam puts the ground under it puts stress on the plates which causes them to shift and cause earthquakes. However, that
This, in theory, is because the movement of the water symbolizes the movement of life and when we die we are simply flowing to the next part of the river. Imagine If that river never flowed. This would mean that the life is gone. This has become a reality for people such as the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe, whom held these water sacred for thousands of years. The migrating salmon were the primary food source for the Klallam Tribe (Church l). The people of the river described the damming of it as "a death" and when offered the chance to see the river flow by opening up the dam overflow, the people refused saying they wouldn't be able to deal with the loss again (Church