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The disappearance of Northwestern Lake


A first look at the changing landscape at Northwestern Lake following the breaching of Condit Dam on the White Salmon River in Washington.

I first photographed Northwestern Lake in the summer of 2011. The nearly 100-year old dam was breached on October 26, 2011, allowing the White Salmon River to flow unobstructed from the glaciers of Mount Adams to the Columbia River. I revisited the lake in January 2012 before any major winter storm events to capture the changes. This is the first in a series of repeat photographs (click to enlarge).



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Location: Lakeview Rd, Wind River, WA 98651, USA

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