The Crag Law Center is representing the Gifford Pinchot Task Force in its effort to support the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Mount Adams Ranger District, with its proposal to remove the Hemlock Dam, a 26-foot high structure on Trout Creek, which is a tributary to the Wind River in southwest Washington.
Removing the dam will improve fish passage and aquatic conditions in Trout Creek. Trout Creek supports Lower Columbia River Steelhead, a fish that is federally listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
The concrete arch dam and associated fish ladder were originally constructed in 1935-1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to provide water for hydroelectric power generation, and was modified in 1958 to provide irrigation water to the Wind River Tree Nursery.