A Broken River Restored...

October 28, 2011 — The White Salmon River in Washington state is flowing again as the nearly 100-year-old Condit Dam was disabled with explosives Wednesday. The reservoir draining took about 2 hours. Further demolition is scheduled in 2012. The event is a significant milestone for river restoration and dam removal nationwide.

This year, Patagonia’s environmental campaign, Our Common Waters, spotlights the need to balance human water consumption with that of animals and plants. During the next few months, we turn to what we call Broken Rivers - the impact of dams and diversions. While projects like these can benefit society, they also cause considerable harm to rivers. Dams have depleted fisheries, degraded river ecosystems, and diminished recreational opportunities on nearly all of the nation’s rivers. Many dams are old, unsafe or no longer serve their intended purpose. Diversions drain water levels in many rivers, reducing fish and wildlife habitat and damaging human communities dependent on healthy rivers.

Here is what Patagonia’s owner, Yvon Chouinard, has to say about dams and wild rivers.
Dammed If We Don’t
By Yvon Chouinard