A major salmon habitat restoration effort is now underway near the South Fork Toutle River, aiming to heal damage that has persisted since the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.

The Columbian reports that the two-year, $10.7 million project is being led by the Lower Columbia Fish Enhancement Group and is located about 10 miles from the volcano. The restoration will cover 215 acres of floodplain and 4.1 miles of river near the South Fork’s headwaters.

The goal is to restore the area to a more natural, pre-eruption state to support endangered runs of chinook, coho, and steelhead salmon.

Funding for the project is being provided by the Washington State Department of Ecology and the state’s Salmon Recovery Funding Board.