| Lake Aldwell | |
|---|---|
 Lake bed and river in 2012, afterElwha Dam removal | |
  Lake Aldwell  Lake Aldwell | |
| Location | Olympic Peninsula, Clallam County, Washington, United States |
| Coordinates | 48°04′50″N123°34′15″W / 48.08056°N 123.57083°W /48.08056; -123.57083 |
| Type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Elwha River |
| Primary outflows | Elwha River |
| Catchment area | 315 sq mi (820 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 270 acres (110 ha) |
| Max. depth | 94 ft (29 m) |
| Surface elevation | 188 ft (57 m) |
| References | [1] |
Lake Aldwell was areservoir located about 4.9 miles (7.9 km) from the mouth of theElwha River on theOlympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. The reservoir was created in 1913 behind theElwha Dam, which was fully removed in 2012. The Elwha Dam blocked at least 70 miles (110 km) of fish habitat forPacific Salmon andsteelhead withinOlympic National Park.
Lake Aldwell was home to a population of kokaneesockeye salmon fromIndian Creek andLake Sutherland which, unable to access thePacific Ocean, used the reservoir as their habitat during their adult lives. These salmon accessed the reservoir via Indian Creek and spawned in Lake Sutherland, just belowLake Crescent. The lake also containedbull trout,rainbow trout, and a population of introducedeastern brook trout.
In 2012, theElwha Ecosystem Restoration project removed theElwha Dam and began to restore the fisheries of the river. Immediately after the draining of Lake Aldwell, revegetation crews began planting native vegetation to stabilize the slopes from erosion and speed upecological restoration. It is expected that the fish populations that reside above the lake will return to their originalanadromous lifestyle shortly thereafter.
 | ThisClallam County, Washington state location article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |