5-2-2019
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — A long-sought dam removal on the Middle Fork of the Nooksack River is a go after state lawmakers approved the final funding needed for the project.
April McEwen with American Rivers says the dam that diverts water to an intake for Bellingham’s water supply is a big impediment to salmon migration.
“The dam stands about 25-feet-tall and therefore does not allow three native species [of salmon] to reach the 16 miles of pristine river above,” she says.
The dam was built in the 1960’s, and the City of Bellingham, local tribes and state agencies have been working since 2002 to remove it.
Money included in this year’s capital budget adds to local, federal and private funding and allows the removal to begin next year.
Bellingham’s water diversion will be redesigned and won’t need the dam to supply it.