In the early 20th century, the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams were constructed on the Elwha River, providing electrical power but blocking fish passage to the upper Elwha watershed. The process of removing these dams began in 2011, after decades of work negotiating and preparing for the largest dam removal in the history of the United States. The restoration of the Elwha River ecosystem provides considerable challenges and opportunities for research: before, during and after the removal of the dams. The Elwha Watershed Information Resource integrates ecological and socioeconomic information that describes the physical environment, biological and human communities, and management issues in the Elwha watershed. The Elwha Watershed Information Resource was developed to support the management and recovery of the Elwha Watershed after dam removal. The Elwha Map provides environmental data (stream gages, water quality, fish distributions, geology, zoning, etc.) for the Elwha watershed. This project was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
