Donation could speed removal of aging Nelson Dam

YAKIMA – The Nelson Dam on the Naches River has hampered salmon trying to migrate upstream for nearly a century, while preventing tons of sediment from being carried downstream where it’s needed.

Yakima County is moving closer to getting both fish and sediment to the right places.

On Tuesday, a national environmental group announced it is donating money to three dam removal projects in Oregon, California and for the Nelson Dam.

The Yakima Herald-Republic said the $75,000 donation will account for only a small portion of the estimated $12 million price tag for the dam removal project that has been planned for years by Yakima city and county officials and the Yakama Nation.

Located west of Yakima, the dam was built in the 1920s, and rebuilt in 1985.