The land is leased to the homeowners. They're lucky the dam company didn't just cancel their leases and tell them to move. A dam on the Clark Fork river in Montana was removed and revegetated. Four years later and you'd never know the dam and it's miles of silt were ever there.
Who builds a house on leased land. No way in hell I would ever do some dumb shit like that. They never thought that the dam company would never come in and make changes or make them move
Except for no more lake and the lack of water control for wells and other things not to mention way higher possibility for floods as there is no flood control area (ie the lake and dam ) who is the smart one now
@@patrickzink2191 Everybody seems to think that all damns are there for flood control when the truth of the matter is that very few dams are built for flood control and they are the large dams, usually hydroelectric dams. Not mud puddles like this one that held more silt than water. Not to mention most aren't designed for flood waters and pose a higher risk for catastrophic failure and flooding if they can't relieve the inrush of water before it crests the damn. And There has never been a dam constructed for the intention of managing ground water for wells for housing that may or may not ever exist around the reservoir. Open the well and drill a little deeper. The water is still there.
In that shot of the reservoir just upstream of the dam after drainage, you could see the erosion valley cut into the sediment showing the thickness of the sediment as well as the top elevation of the un-eroded areas. It was clear that the sediment had been nearly as high as the normal pool level. In other words, that lake was nearly filled to the brim with silt before they took out the dam, so it's not like the lake had any real quality to it anymore as it was. Reservoirs in hilly country are prone to filling up with silt at a rapid rate, often in as little as ten years, and clearly this was an example of a man-made lake that had a useful lifespan that was very short. And that's all aside from what so many others are pointing out, that expecting permanence when leasing from a business operation is a gamble. Anyway, bare silt within drained reservoirs grows into what's virtually a jungle in an incredibly short time. I've seen it happen several places. You can bet that the sediment plain of the former reservoir is now lush and green, and to me, that's not a bad trade for a mud-filled lake that never should have been.
@@bertlbarm4374 so you read all that and then thought this was a still a good question to ask? The "lake" was full of silt. It's lifespan was over. Look at some aerial footage of Matilija dam from the past year. It's so full of silt that grass is growing at the top of it. It's a disaster.
@@StellarLunar well i assume there is a company responsible for each of these dammed waters or the "state" in any case someone who has to make sure everything works, or did I misunderstand something, is it just a matter of that you build something and use it until it breaks? here in europe, the sludge is drained every few years because, among other things, it is also a good fertilizer
Close your damn window dust problem solved!! Wait for plants to seed problem solved. If this guy is shedding a tear at these minimal problems he must have been use to getting his way all his life..
+Peter R -- You are a BUFFOON, used to getting YOUR OWN WAY! How R plants going 2 'seed themselves' W/O WATER! You can't IMAGINE no morning coffee; not brushing your teeth, not throwing a load in the washer when you run out of clean clothes;, turning a tap 4 a glass of H2O when you're thirsty & having NOTHING come out; having teeth feel 'gritty' & saliva turn 2 MUD in your mouth! And don't 4get what the dust will do 2 your car engine, your home's A/C!. Better get supplies of air filters 4 it b/c you'll need a new 1 weekly if not daily, but it can 'wait' & the problem will B solved. And of course there's the pesky issue of not FLUSHING the toilet-but WAIT-plants will re-seed & solve the problem-ah, NO plants won't FILL the WELL! NO-closing 'a window' will NOT 'SOLVE the problem'! The home CAN'T be hermetically sealed! Tell his LUNGS breathing dust is a 'minimal problem' & they can 'wait' 4 the problem to B solved! Having NO water is NOT a 'minimal problem'! Just ask the people in Flint, Michigan! 'Life' REQUIRES 3 things-water, air & food. Remove just ONE & life CAN'T sustain itself!
+Peter R -- You are a BUFFOON, used to getting YOUR OWN WAY! How R plants going 2 'seed themselves' W/O WATER! You can't IMAGINE no morning coffee; not brushing your teeth, not throwing a load in the washer when you run out of clean clothes;, turning a tap 4 a glass of H2O when you're thirsty & having NOTHING come out; having teeth feel 'gritty' & saliva turn 2 MUD in your mouth! And don't 4get what the dust will do 2 your car engine, your home's A/C!. Better get supplies of air filters 4 it b/c you'll need a new 1 weekly if not daily, but it can 'wait' & the problem will B solved. And of course there's the pesky issue of not FLUSHING the toilet-but WAIT-plants will re-seed & solve the problem-ah, NO plants won't FILL the WELL! NO-closing 'a window' will NOT 'SOLVE the problem'! The home CAN'T be hermetically sealed! Tell his LUNGS breathing dust is a 'minimal problem' & they can 'wait' 4 the problem to B solved! Having NO water is NOT a 'minimal problem'! Just ask the people in Flint, Michigan! 'Life' REQUIRES 3 things-water, air & food. Remove just ONE & life CAN'T sustain itself!
Actually no. That's what can happen when big money controls everything. They've done it to people that aren't leasing land too case you were unaware or have some odd little fantasy that the government may be on your side
I think there is a story behind they did not fully tell. When you immediately hydroseed the sediment, it is still at dangerous slopes and will come down one day. Best thing you can do for long term safety is not to do anything in the beginning and then later hydroseed the much shallower and eroded slopes.
@@danielrose1392 also when you plant a tree it can't connect to the fungal internet which leads to disease cause it's doesn't know how to fight it and it spreads that's why it's a hell of a lot better to leave vacant land to natural succession unless the soil is really poor then it has to go through regenerative agriculture
"leased" seems to have escaped your hearing range, the others are wise to have just left their land leases and homes, but me I would rather keep the house I bought
The weaponised desecrated cross says something. I’m just not sure if I want to write what. It’s now fully vegetated (2020) green and lush, and the dust was always anticipated, and planned for. And windows close, too!
I know EXACTLY where this guy lives, I have been going next to this spot fishing since I Was a kid. It was already nice without having to wait. They SCREWED all those people. Not an easy or cheap fix for the well issues either.
You can't have it both ways, either a free flowing river or a dammed up cesspool of silt. Given time and patience, the vegetation and salmon will be back.
I grew up fishing Northwestern Reservoir and have so many wonderful memories of family times fishing and enjoying one of the most beautiful lakes in the region. I feel sorry for the homeowners who got nothing from Pacific Corps but a dusty house on a hill overlooking the tiny river. Its now 2024 and I have not heard if the salmon run has recovered up to this area. I know the base few miles seem to have benefitted but not up past where the dam was.
They will certainly try to reseed the ground with native plants. But unfortunately, when you choose to have property near a damn/waterfront access, you take your chances.
It sucks for those who invested in property based on various assumptions, however, there was a lot more to the matter than the dam being too expensive to fix, everything from environmental and wildlife considerations to technology being outdated and inability to expand as to meet current energy demands. Lesson #1 Never build on leased property... if you don't own it, you have no rights. Lesson #2 Know who owns that which you consider to be scenery: farmer, State, corporation... they all have plans and financial considerations, of which you are none. Lesson #3 Everything is temporary, meaning everything has a life-span, even us. People fail to realize that "always been there" is a remedial concept that barely spans 80 years; great-grandparents build something, grandparents grew up with it, parents only know of it as having always been, and we get to either carry on obliviously, or deconstruct and re-purpose.
Why are you all being so harsh? He built a lakefront house with his own hands and now its basicly ruined, id be pretty dam depressed if it was me and so would you
I completely agree with u id be hurt also to see it gone they should try and find away to fix the issue with another dam and help watever wildlife the dam could have had a negative effect on only say that because ik they sometimes do. Im sure the people would be more then happy to pay fees for it if its too much for the company to maintain or just sell the damn land to them
The land will recover. Wounds take time to heal and the Condit Dam seriously injured the land. The river will be health once again and in time we shall see...
@@Jumaforever maybe you've already seen it, but here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HES_-dKUE9I.html At the end of the video, there is a short segment on the vegetation
this showed up in my recommendations as I watched a few documentaries on the amazing effort that was put into removal of the dam and the life that was restored to the river and the whole ecosystem as a whole in the entire river basin. They removed 2 dams? I do believe and this dam was one of them?.. It was awesome to watch. If the humans are looking for sympathy its between shit and syphilis in the dictionary.
While I agree that the defunct dam needed to removed, the method of removal was itself an act of environmental vandalism. The method was chosen for its cheapness.
It was a wild river long before a damn was built in the early 1900's and the Eco-system I'm sure was balanced just fine before it went in. What were the consequences of the damn being built in the first place, probably not good, but it balanced out just as it will again. To the lessee, grow some grass and move on...
josef williams He's actually spot on. This video is tabloid journalism, petty concerns about dust blown out of proportion vs. the rebirth of a great salmon fishery. The dust is temporary, that rich silt soil will rapidly be overgrown with new vegetation.
Lot of people in the comments belittling this poor old man whose worst crime was that he invested in a lease. Unless he was an expert in how reservoirs and erosion worked, he never could have predicted the silt buildup or that the dam would one day be removed. It's no fault of his and deriding him for mourning the loss of something both he and his wife cherished is beneath everyone. The dam itself was fraught with issues and I can understand why they removed it. As pointed out elsewhere, it was notorious for silt buildup and it was affecting salmon migrations--despite the efforts to provide a 'fish ladder' for salmon to bypass the dam, the fish ladder kept getting damaged and made impassible by floods, and eventually the company which maintained the dam was told to either bring the whole facility up to spec or decommission it; in this case, the company saw fit to choose the latter. The removal of the dam is expected to be a negative impact on the surrounding enviornment for a few years, as the remaining silt flushes from the former lakebed and new vegetation starts to take hold. Eventually, however, the landscape will return, and animals and plants previously hampered by the dam will flourish. Hopefully, he will live to see this return and have many more memories to cherish with his loved ones in the time he has left.
What's a tragic news segment without getting someone to cry? I swear, people think that's what they need to do when the cameras are rolling. This guy had a long time to consider the coming changes, yet he doesn't seem to have prepared emotionally or mentally. Probably the reason they interviewed just this one guy.
Imagine complaining about losing an old decrepit dam that had cut off a major spawning ground for an endangered species of salmon. I understand that you thought the lake was pretty but your views are less important than keeping nature healthy and protecting endangered animals.
The people don't control that, PacifiCorp does. The people leased land down to the water. What was dust is beyond that boundry. In any case, PacifiCorp HAS planted since then, in some areas, numerous repeated times.
Fitzpatrick.. I think theres a problem with that silt that still remians You cant grow anything meanful in it.. It needs to be washed and blown away first you need real soil
Why did they blow it up rather than slowly drain it and dismantle it? I don't know the trade-offs, but it would *seem* that draining it over the span of a year would allow time to re-vegetate banks without the flood of erosion and silt. Even if blowing it up was the best option, it also seems that the company who owns the land should have been seeding grasses from the air ASAP.
eric moss My understanding is they blow it up such that the sudden removal will also remove the millions of tons of sediment built up over years (lots of truck loads, money), but also provides habitat/beach downstream.
Indeed. I believe this dam was one of the earlier removals, with earlier thinking. I was pleased to see a different approach with the Elwha Dam (?) dam that did a slow release/natural erosion removal of the sediment. cheers
I'd imagine a bunch; it just seems like a slower release would be easier to survive than wall of mud. Maybe it's not as hard on the fish as it looks, though I still wonder about bird and animal nests at the edges downstream.
I know the dam had to come down both for the fish, overfill off sediment and for economic reasons …… however why not after you have completely got rid off the old dam could they have not built a very cheap/ basic flow through dam which has an open bottom … allowing the river to flow under untouched by the dam for at least half the year but will occasionally hold a bit back during the rest off the year … meaning less dust … less water to be held back so less weight…less cost fish can swim either way with no obstacles etc etc no?
Есть такое понятие -воровство денег из бюджета страны ))) Чем больше затрат, тем больше возможностей для этого ! Можно было просто оставить дамбу Но на этом не заработаешь ) Как с войной … Можно договариваться ,но мы с начала ,повоюем )))
Seeing as the land is not other peoples land but the dam owners they can focus on what they chose. That's what happens when you lease corporate land. Don't drop your life's work onto land you don't own.
We’ll have to see about them. As climate change affects everything the unfortunate fish may not be able to comeback longterm. I hope so, but with warmer temps and lower flows they may not be able to adapt (like us, and the rest of the natural world).
The dam needed to go. It had a lifespan which actually should have never been imposed upon the environment. As for the wells: they will just have to bore deeper since the reservoir is not artificially impounding water in the ground. The silt banks have likely filled in with native species of plants. That little show of dust was a pitiful attempt to aggrandize the story. Just a momentary environmental anomaly that is always mitigated well with a little effort.
the condit dam removal positively affected everyone involved, including nature. you can watch this great video here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HES_-dKUE9I.html.
Please god, I know you like your natural design, but could you please put back the dam and ruin the natural environment for the sake of my dream shack, please! I'll even put up a cross...
Why don’t I feel sorry for them? Same reason I don’t feel sorry for folks who build homes in a flood plain. Water goes where it’s supposed to go. Man tries to mess with it, people are going to suffer consequences.
@@Piterdeveirs333 You don't know what you're talking about. The dam worked fine for its intended purpose. The "repair" they mention is a modification to allow salmon to go around the dam. Basically, what Steven said.
Why haven't they planted grass and watered it? That would've done away with all the dust. And it would've taken care of the dust problem well before it started
+andy badandy Because very few plants will grow in it. The silt is actually an anaerobic sludge made up largely of part-decomposed vegetation. Notice how the trees stumps from the time of construction are still there. They wont rot until there is enough oxygen. Plenty of dust of the type that will play hell with your lungs and when wet will stink to high heaven. The method of draining that lake was nothing short of vandalism. They took a huge risk by releasing that muck not just because of the potential erosion but the speed at which it will deplete oxygen in the water. They were lucky not to kill the very fish they were trying to save.
Oh no! The White Salmon River is going to become a river again....with healthy white salmon...and an ecosystem that isn't too warm and stagnant....how terrible 😐
I love it how these talking heads and the guys that are getting paid by the government or companies construction workers they have always beautiful words to say how things are going to get better and get better when in reality you eat dust every damn that's been removed in the United States has to do with people making money off the demolitions and the towns will never be the same the waterfront properties will never be the same again I mean look at that poor guy clean water and now nothing the engineer won't even be there he'll be paid and gone
They want their. Lake back and the value. But the ecosystem rewards will be great. Wait a couple years and the salmon ,trout, and other natural fish will return.
