Dam removal projects are best done in partnership and one of the best examples is the Upper Citico Creek dam removal project in Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest highlighted in our short film Connecting Citico Creek.
American Rivers teamed up with two federal agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Forest Service, to achieve our common goal of restoring aquatic habitat. Each partner brought their expertise and resources to the table to produce an efficient, high quality, low cost victory in the Little Tennessee River watershed.
“The way we accomplish most of this dam removal work is by developing partnerships,” says Ricky Campbell, project leader for the US Fish and Wildlife Service who also operates the heavy machinery to remove unneeded structures like dams from streams.
“This has been a terrific experience. Between working with American Rivers and Fish and Wildlife Service, and our agency the Forest Service, it’s been remarkably simple to get this project done considering the complexity of working in a stream that contains threatened and endangered fish,” says Ali Reddington, hydrologist for the Cherokee National Forest.
“Dam removal projects are best done in partnership and one of the best examples is the Upper Citico Creek dam removal project in Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest highlighted in our short film Connecting Citico Creek. ”
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The Upper Citico Creek dam was built in 1966 with the misguided purpose of protecting the cold water fish species in Citico Creek from the warm water fish species in the adjacent Indian Boundary reservoir. Now, fish and other aquatic species can move unhindered in the upper reaches of Citico Creek. Additionally, recreational paddlers attracted to this reach by high flows can now paddle more safely since the removal of this dam. Read more about the Citico Creek dam removal here.
American Rivers appreciates the efforts of all of our partners and we look forward to partnering on more projects with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service to restore our nation’s streams.
