As we observe National Dam Safety Awareness Day and reflect on the anniversary of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania dam failure in 1889 that took the lives of 2,200 people, I am heartened to know that this is a problem we can solve.
There are more than 500,000 dams scattered across our rivers and streams, many of which are in a state of advanced disrepair. The good news? These tragedies can be avoided with proper funding for repair and maintenance. To make that happen, we must prioritize restoring funding to FEMA’s National Dam Safety Program and to state dam safety offices.
In many cases, the most cost-effective way to ensure public safety is to remove dams, many of which no longer serve their intended purpose anyway. Removing outdated, hazardous dams protects our communities from preventable disasters. The good news is that communities across the country are doing just that! To show the positive progress being made across the country, we have curated a list of upcoming dam removal projects to show how these removals are possible in communities across the country.
1. Lockville Dam | Deep Creek, North Carolina
Why you should care: The Lockville Dam removal project has been designed to improve public safety and long-term sustainability for the surrounding community. The dam is in poor condition, and a backup of fallen logs and debris has accumulated behind the dam. American Rivers aims to reconnect 56.5 miles of the Deep River and its tributaries through the removal of the dam. The project is a restoration priority for the endemic and federally endangered Cape Fear Shiner. Several freshwater mussel species, including the Federally threatened Atlantic pigtoe, are known to be in the Deep River. The removal of Lockville dam, which was originally damaged during Hurricane Florence in 2018, is a critical step in a wider transformational watershed restoration project which is aimed at restoring fish passage for migratory fish species.
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2. Bridge and East Elm Street Dams | Royal River, Maine
Why you should care: American Rivers is working in partnership with state, municipal, and local conservation organizations to restore migratory fish runs in the Royal River watershed. The Royal River is a 140-square-mile watershed that drains directly to the Gulf of Maine. These two mainstem dams, which are the first barriers on the Royal River, have been blocking fish passage since their construction in the 19th century and together block access to over 100 miles of mainstem and tributary habitat for river herring and other fish species. Both dams are small, coming in at 10’ and 12’ in height, respectively, and are in poor condition.
3. Allegheny Side Channel Dam | Allegheny River, Pennsylvania
Why you should care: Removal of the Allegheny Side Channel Dam is part of a broader project that includes the removal of 10 dams throughout the Ohio and Susquehanna River watersheds, resulting in reconnecting 285 river miles and roughly 28 acres of wetlands and floodplain habitat. As its name indicates, the Alleghany Side Channel Dam blocks a side channel of the Allegheny River near the Allegheny National Forest, which provides important nursery habitat for small darters and shiners, as well as habitat favored by endangered freshwater mussels.
