Land conservation and environmental groups have joined the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in a plan to remove the aging Ela Dam in the North Carolina mountains. For nearly a century the dam has provided electricity but it has also altered wildlife habitats enviornmentalists say, and disconnected the tribal community. But, if federal funding is approved, the 36 foot high dam could undergo restoration to improve wildlife habitats. The Ela Dam, also known as the Bryson Hydroelectric Project, is in Swain County and was built in the 1920s to bring electricity to the rural area just east of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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