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Lake Mills (Washington)
Encyclopedia
Lake Mills is a reservoir
formed by the Glines Canyon Dam
on the Elwha River
located about 13 miles from the mouth of the river on the Olympic Peninsula
. It is fully contained within Olympic National Park
. The lake was created behind the Glines Canyon Dam. It was formed in 1927 with the completion of the dam and after the lowland forest that occupied the river bottom was clear-cut. With no fish passage facilities, the dam blocks passage of anadromous
Pacific Salmon from the upper 50+ miles of the Elwha watershed located within Olympic National Park
.
The Elwha Ecosystem Restoration
project will remove the Glines Canyon Dam in 2012 and the lake will be drained. Olympic National Park
crews will revegetate the area to speed up ecological restoration and improve the habitat for the return of the salmon.
Today, Lake Mills is habitat for rainbow trout
, bull trout
, and Dolly Varden trout
who use the lake as their "ocean", because the dam blocks access to the Pacific Ocean
. It is expected upon removal of the dam that these fish will return to their natural anadromous lifestyle.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
formed by the Glines Canyon Dam
Glines Canyon Dam
Glines Canyon Dam , built in 1927, is a high concrete arch dam that forms Lake Mills upstream from the Elwha River's mouth....
on the Elwha River
Elwha River
The Elwha River is a -long river located on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. From its source at Elwha snowfinger in the Olympic Range of Olympic National Park it flows generally north to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Most of the river is contained within Olympic National Park...
located about 13 miles from the mouth of the river on the Olympic Peninsula
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous...
. It is fully contained within Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park is located in the U.S. state of Washington, in the Olympic Peninsula. The park can be divided into four basic regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west side temperate rainforest and the forests of the drier east side. U.S...
. The lake was created behind the Glines Canyon Dam. It was formed in 1927 with the completion of the dam and after the lowland forest that occupied the river bottom was clear-cut. With no fish passage facilities, the dam blocks passage of anadromous
Fish migration
Many types of fish migrate on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annually or longer, and over distances ranging from a few metres to thousands of kilometres...
Pacific Salmon from the upper 50+ miles of the Elwha watershed located within Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park is located in the U.S. state of Washington, in the Olympic Peninsula. The park can be divided into four basic regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west side temperate rainforest and the forests of the drier east side. U.S...
.
The Elwha Ecosystem Restoration
Elwha Ecosystem Restoration
The Elwha Ecosystem Restoration Project in the United States is the largest dam removal project in history and the second largest ecosystem restoration project in the history of the National Park Service, after the Restoration of the Everglades...
project will remove the Glines Canyon Dam in 2012 and the lake will be drained. Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park is located in the U.S. state of Washington, in the Olympic Peninsula. The park can be divided into four basic regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west side temperate rainforest and the forests of the drier east side. U.S...
crews will revegetate the area to speed up ecological restoration and improve the habitat for the return of the salmon.
Today, Lake Mills is habitat for rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
, bull trout
Bull trout
The bull trout, Salvelinus confluentus, is a char of the family Salmonidae native to northwestern North America. Historically, S. confluentus has been known as the "Dolly Varden" , but was re-classified as a separate species in 1980. Bull trout are listed as a threatened species under the U.S....
, and Dolly Varden trout
Dolly Varden trout
The Dolly Varden trout, Salvelinus malma malma, is a subspecies of anadromous fish in the salmon family, and is technically a char. Although many of the fish are anadromous, the fish also exists in landlocked waters.- Range :The subspecies S. m...
who use the lake as their "ocean", because the dam blocks access to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. It is expected upon removal of the dam that these fish will return to their natural anadromous lifestyle.