The Kitsap Sun and Tacoma News Tribune reported on the increased water flow from the Cushman Dam to the North Fork of the Skokomish River on March 7. The amount of water flowing down the North Fork was increased from 60-70 cubic feet/second to 240 cubic feet/second.
The Tacoma News Tribune:
The black button on the control panel may have had a larger effect than raising the level of the North Fork of the Skokomish River or providing more spawning ground for salmon.
Many hope it will help ease contentious relations between Tacoma Power and the Skokomish Tribe.
About 60 people – including members of the city-owned utility, contractors and the tribe – stood atop Cushman Dam No. 2 on Friday afternoon to celebrate a quadrupling of water flow into the river, an issue over which the tribe has long sought resolution. In less than an hour, the flow from the dam increased from 60 cubic feet per second to about 240 cubic feet per second.
