The plan called for dam removal to begin in 2006 and capped PacifiCorp's liability at $17.5 million. In 2005, they applied for an operating extension to 2008, to earn another $3.3 million to help offset the cost of dam removal. The main parties involved in negotiations were federal regulatory bodies such as the National Marine Fisheries Service, Native American tribal governments with interests in the area, and a number of local and national environmental groups. PacifiCorp proposal PacifiCorp's decommissioning plan differed from FERC's decommissioning proposal in how the sediment behind the dam is treated. FERC's plan was to dredge or bypass the sediment while PacifiCorp's plan used the demolition of the dam to quickly flush as much sediment as possible, thereby minimizing the amount of time the sediment plume harmed downstream aquatic life. Breaching the dam involved cutting a 12 x 18 x tunnel in its base; the final was drilled and blasted. A dredge removed woody sediment from the dam's inside face, and when breached, the reservoir was expected to drain within six hours, but actually drained much faster, in only about 30 minutes. The rest of the dam was cut into blocks and removed for disposal or recycling on-site. As of the date of demolition, Condit dam was the largest dam ever removed for environmental reasons and the largest dam ever removed in the United States. The quick drainage of the reservoir flushed a large amount of sediment quickly, helping to create a new river channel above the dam. The remaining sediment will continue to erode until vegetation takes root. The sediment plume will harm the aquatic ecosystem temporarily; in the case of bull trout, it will be a negative influence for two years, after which it will be a positive influence due to improved ecosystem nutrition. Also, a new sand bar is expected to form at the mouth of the White Salmon River, interfering with Native American fishing rights, for which PacifiCorp will pay a settlement. Controversy Opposition to the dam removal came from Klickitat and Skamania County governments. Objections revolved around the loss of lake-front property and water recreation, loss of wetlands and water habitat, and a perception that PacifiCorp was choosing the cheapest way to abandon the project, rather than paying for FERC's preferred solution (a fish passage system), which some believed was the best solution for all parties. The Klickitat Public Utility District Board