YAKIMA — A Washington dam removal project that aims to improve the passage of fish and the community around it is scheduled to begin in 2021.
Nelson Dam in the southern region of the state was built in the 1920s to divert irrigation water into Yakima and the surrounding area. The dam has also hampered the routes of salmon trying to migrate upstream for nearly a century.
The dam has also caused the Naches River to overflow its banks and pour into the surrounding community during even minor flooding, the Yakima Herald-Republic reported.
The city of Yakima is slated to invest $7.5 million over the next four to five years. About $6 million of that amount will come from bonds and roughly $1.5 million will come from reserves, said Dave Brown, Yakima’s water and irrigation manager.
