PORT ANGELES — Construction of a new fish hatchery, part of preparation for the removal of two dams on the Elwha River, is expected to begin sometime this fall, now that the contract for the $16 million project has been awarded.
The National Park Service’s Denver Service Center announced on Friday the award of the $16,364,094 contract to construct the hatchery on the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe’s reservation six miles west of Port Angeles.
James W. Fowler Co. General Contractors of Dallas, Ore., will be the prime contractor for the project funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The new hatchery will help maintain existing Elwha River fish stocks during removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams, scheduled to begin in 2011 and be completed in 2014.
Removal of the dams — the largest such project in the nation — was authorized in the federal 1992 Elwha Act to restore salmon habitat on the river once fabled for its dense runs of large salmon.
The construction of the 105-foot Elwha Dam in 1913 and the 210-foot Glines Canyon Dam in 1927 blocked the progress of salmon up the river and prevented the return of fish to breed.
The $308 million removal project received $54 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for mitigation projects.
The Elwha fish hatchery will produce coho, pink
and chum salmon and steelhead for restoration of the river ecosystem.
The existing state Department of Fish and Wildlife rearing channel will continue to support the river’s chinook salmon population.
The fish hatchery must be completed and in place before dam removal can begin.
Native fish population
“At the heart of Elwha restoration is restoration of the river’s native fish populations,” said Olympic National Park Superintendent Karen Gustin.
“This new hatchery will allow the tribe to raise populations of salmon and steelhead that will used in restoring the Elwha River after the dams are gone.”
During construction, which is expected to take 16 months, workers will build site and access road improvements, a water supply for the hatchery and drainage pipelines, water supply wells, two buildings, fish culture facilities — including raceways, ponds, and adult holding ponds — a fish ladder, and mechanical and electrical systems.
“The tribe has been working on Elwha River restoration for 30 years,” said Robert Elofson, Elwha River restoration director for the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe.
“Elwha River restoration has been, and will be, a priority for the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe until the river is restored,” Elofson added.
The project was designed by the Bellevue offices of MWH and construction management services will be provided by the PBS&J Corp.
The project is one of nearly 800 totaling $750 million across the National Park Service that will be completed with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
For more information, click on recovery.doi.gov/nps.
