Stay away.
That’s the message PacifiCorp, local law enforcement officials and experienced river guides are delivering regarding the White Salmon River both above and below Condit Dam in the wake of the dam’s dramatic breaching last Wednesday.
The river remains an unsafe place to be, said Tom Hickey, PacifiCorp’s project manager for the Condit project. An estimated 2.7 million cubic yards of sediment had built up behind the dam over nearly a century. That sediment, and everything that was buried under it, is on the move.
“Everyone saw the force of the river last Wednesday,” Hickey said in a statement Tuesday. “Now, downstream wherever the river narrows, there are logjams. In the former reservoir above the dam, the river is cutting through the sediment creating unstable slopes and moving debris such as buried logs. Transported sediment is also building up in downstream areas. Working with our contractors, we have plans in place to deal with these obstructions, and they all require that everyone stay out of harm’s way and a safe distance from the river.”
“We are still a long way from anyone attempting to boat the White Salmon River within the project area or downstream,” said Thomas O’Keefe, Pacific Northwest stewardship director for the recreation organization American Whitewater. “Those of us who know the river well urge everyone to stay safe and out of this river area until next fall when PacifiCorp has had a chance to complete the channel restoration work and address the severe hazards affecting navigability.”
