American Whitewater has been engaged in several projects on the White Salmon River. We are a signatory to the Settlement Agreement for removal of Condit Dam which will restore one of the most spectacular rivers in the Columbia Gorge for fish and paddlers. We were successful in our efforts with partner organizations to expand Wild and Scenic Protection of the White Salmon. We have also worked on several key land acquisitions bringing critical access points into public ownership and protecting the riparian buffer.

As one of the nation’s most spectacular whitewater resources, our work on the White Salmon continues to restore the river while protecting opportunties for public enjoyment. These efforts are in partnership with a number of different partner organizations identified below.

Settlement Parties to Condit Dam Removal

• American Rivers
• Columbia Gorge Audubon Society
• Columbia Gorge Coalition
• Columbia River United
• Federation of Fly Fishers
• Friends of the Columbia Gorge
• Friends of the Earth
• Friends of the White Salmon
• Rivers Council of Washington
• The Mountaineers
• The Sierra Club
• Trout Unlimited
• Washington Trout
• Washington Wilderness Coalition

Additional partner organizations working with us on projects along the White Salmon

• Columbia Riverkeeper
• Gifford Pinchot Task Force
• Trust for Public Land

Comments on Condit Dam removal On September 22, 1999 PacifiCorp signed an agreement to remove Condit Dam on the White Salmon River. The culmination of two years of negotiations between state and federal agencies, American Whitewater, and 13 other environmental groups. The agreement calls for removal of the 125-foot-tall concrete dam that since 1913 has diverted water from the natural channel obstructing downstream navigation and blocking upstream fish passage (read PacifiCorp's brochure on dam removal). Additional information is also available at whitesalmonriver.org.

• March 25, 2002 Conservation Groups' Comments on DSEIS
• March 15, 2000, Conservation Groups' Motion to Intervene
• October 25, 1999, Settlement Agreement

Agency Documents Settlement parties hired a consultant to evaluate alternatives to dam removal and determined that quickly draining the reservoir and flushing sediments was the option most protective of aquatic resources. This method will remove the greatest amount of sediment as quickly as possible to minimize long-term effects. Several agencies have responsibility for independent evaluation of this approach and their reviews are provided as links below:

• June 27, 2002, FERC's Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
• September 2005, Washington State DOE Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
• November 30th, 2005, US Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Opinion
• October 12, 2006, NOAA Fisheries Biological Opinion
• March 23, 2007, Washington State DOE Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement