VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) -- A utility aiming to demolish a southwest Washington dam has reached a tentative agreement with two Columbia River Gorge counties that had waged a 10-year legal battle against the plan.

The deal means the 97-year-old Condit Dam on the White Salmon River could be demolished as soon as the fall of 2011.

Under the agreement, Portland, Ore.-based PacifiCorp will pay Klickitat and Skamania counties $675,000 to offset the impacts of dam removal, including the effects on a group of cabin owners at Northwestern Lake.

The reservoir behind the dam will be drained with the dam's removal.

Klickitat County commissioners have already approved the deal. The Vancouver Columbian reported Friday that Skamania County commissioners are scheduled to consider the agreement Tuesday.

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Information from: The Columbian, http://www.columbian.com

Copyright 2010 The AP.