The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe of Washington hopes the removal of two dams on the Elwha River will help restore salmon runs.

The tribe lives at the mouth of the river. The removal of the dams will help restore the area but it will also bring changes to the reservation.

For one, the tribe is being connected to the sewer system in a nearby city because the old septic system could be damaged by rising waters. There is also the threat of flood.

“Four more years and I’ll have my house paid off, and I’m making a nice new garage. Hopefully the river won’t take me out," Ron Boulstrom told The New York Times.

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Removal of Dams Expected to Replenish Salmon Population (The New York Times 7/29)