The Elwha Nearshore: An Overview
Presentation Abstract
Located on the north Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, the Elwha River nearshore includes approximately 12 linear miles of shoreline, from the western edge of Freshwater Bay, east to the tip of Ediz Hook, and is made up of five distinct geomorphic habitat landform types: lower river, estuary, embayed shoreline, feeder bluffs and spit. Extending from the area of tidal influence, including the riparian zone, out to 30 meters Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) depth, the Elwha nearshore provides rearing and migration corridors for ESA listed species including juvenile salmon and forage fish, Puget Sound and Columbia River Chinook, steelhead, bull trout, and eulachon, sand lance, and smelt. It also provides spawning areas for surf smelt. The Elwha nearshore is severely degraded due to significant sediment starvation from in river dams, shoreline armoring and diking. Dam removal, which began in September of 2011, will deliver an estimated 15 million cubic meters of sediment to the nearshore and so provide a partial restoration of sediment processes within five years. Additional restoration and adaptive management actions (such as restoring the Elwha bluffs and restoring hydrologic connectivity within the estuary) are necessary for successful recovery of the Elwha nearshore and the Salish Sea ecosystem it supports.
Session Title
Session S-06F: Elwah River Restoration: Evolution of Habitats and Ecosystems During a Dam Removal Project
Conference Track
Restoration
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 5:00 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 6:30 PM
Location
Room 6C
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Estuarine--Ecology--Washington (State)--Elwha River; Sedimentation and deposition--Washington (State)--Elwha River; Dam retirement--Environmental aspects--Washington (State)--Elwha Dam
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Elwha River (Wash.); Elwha Dam (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
The Elwha Nearshore: An Overview
Room 6C
Located on the north Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, the Elwha River nearshore includes approximately 12 linear miles of shoreline, from the western edge of Freshwater Bay, east to the tip of Ediz Hook, and is made up of five distinct geomorphic habitat landform types: lower river, estuary, embayed shoreline, feeder bluffs and spit. Extending from the area of tidal influence, including the riparian zone, out to 30 meters Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) depth, the Elwha nearshore provides rearing and migration corridors for ESA listed species including juvenile salmon and forage fish, Puget Sound and Columbia River Chinook, steelhead, bull trout, and eulachon, sand lance, and smelt. It also provides spawning areas for surf smelt. The Elwha nearshore is severely degraded due to significant sediment starvation from in river dams, shoreline armoring and diking. Dam removal, which began in September of 2011, will deliver an estimated 15 million cubic meters of sediment to the nearshore and so provide a partial restoration of sediment processes within five years. Additional restoration and adaptive management actions (such as restoring the Elwha bluffs and restoring hydrologic connectivity within the estuary) are necessary for successful recovery of the Elwha nearshore and the Salish Sea ecosystem it supports.
