The United States removed two massive dams from Washington’s Elwha River to reopen salmon habitat blocked for nearly a century; by 2014, the dams were gone, and salmon were moving back upstream

The Elwha River on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula shows the environmental cost of industrialisation and progress over many years. In the early 20th century, two hydroelectric dams were built to provide energy for local mills. Although the dams helped the local economy, they also altered the landscape by blocking the connection between the mountains and the ocean. Over 100 kilometres of river habitat became flooded as a result, making it impossible for five species of Pacific salmon to reach their breeding sites.

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