Today is a very exciting day to be a fish, or to be a human who likes to watch shit blow up.

The largest dam removal project in history will burst forward today as engineers cap off a decades-long effort to restore 14 miles of salmon habitat to the White Salmon River. At noon, engineers will blow up the Condit Dam with 700 pounds of TNT.

Woop woop! Watch the live feed here.

Sarah Shay Mirk reported on transportation, sex and gender issues, and politics at the Mercury from 2008-2013. They have gone on to make many things, including countless comics and several books.

8 replies on “Salmon Victory! Watch This Dam Blow Up at Noon”

  1. Todd, I thought modern day dams have made it possible for salmon and other fish to get through, while still generating electricity… am I mistaken here?

  2. frankie, there’s no reason to dam every river and stream. Read this article, it’s kind of old but it sums up what’s being corrected, slowly.

    “There are over 2900 fish-killing dams in the Interior Columbia Basin alone, and nobody knows how many thousands of others scattered throughout the west coast. In the dam building frenzy of the 20’s through 60’s dams were grossly overbuilt. Many of these dams are now obsolete, too expensive or safety hazards. Lots of them cost far more in environmental damage (especially to our salmon fishery) than any social benefits they provide.”

    http://www.pcffa.org/fn-may98.htm

  3. OK, but ain’t the newer dams built for fish and generating hydropower?
    Don’t get me wrong – lets get rid of the old dams, but they are one of the best, cheapest, reliable and clean forms of energy we have.

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