ENTIAT, Wash. (AP) — Work has begun on the removal of two dikes that have held back the Entiat River for nearly 70 years.
The Wenatchee World reports the project near the Entiat National Fish Hatchery is designed to restore salmon habitat in 5 acres adjacent to the river.
The two dikes were installed in 1941, shortly after the fish hatchery was built about 18 miles northeast of Wenatchee.
Fishery officials say the two dikes do not protect structures or hatchery facilities, except for a couple of wells used for fish production. The wells will only be threatened by a big flood, but hatchery officials are building ring dikes around the wells to prevent flood damage.
