Oregon Public Broadcasting

Washington State gave permission Tuesday to the utility Pacific Power to tear down a large hydropower dam in southwest Washington.

Dismantling the 125-foot tall Condit Dam is tentatively slated to begin in the fall of next year.

That assumes several federal agencies issue additional permits by then. 

Washington Department of Ecology spokeswoman Joye Redfield-Wilder says state concerns about sediment control have been satisfied.

Joy Redfield-Wilder: "When they do put a hole in the dam, there's going to be a large amount of sediment that will be released.  There will be harm to fish for at least one season.  But all the stakeholders are agreeing that in the long run it will open up the river."

Condit Dam blocks the White Salmon River about 3 miles upstream of its confluence with the Columbia River.

Portland-based Pacific Power decided to remove the aging dam rather than pay for expensive upgrades needed to relicense it.

A surge of dam removal activity prompted the environmental group American Rivers to dub 2011 "the year of river restoration."  

A larger dam removal project on the Elwha River on Washington's Olympic Peninsula is scheduled to be underway at roughly the same time Condit Dam is breached next year.

PacifiCorp Condit Dam