Craggy Dam Removal
A Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity for the French Broad River
Craggy Dam is a more than 120-year-old hydroelectric facility located on the French Broad River in Woodfin, North Carolina, adjacent to the Metropolitan Sewerage District (MSD) wastewater treatment plant. When fully operational, the dam supplies a portion of the electricity used by the treatment facility. Today, aging infrastructure and recent operational outages have prompted MSD to evaluate major capital repairs to extend the dam’s life. At the same time, a collaborative effort is underway to determine whether removing the dam could deliver greater long-term public benefit while fully protecting MSD ratepayers.
A broad coalition of local, regional, and national organizations, including American Rivers, MountainTrue/French Broad Riverkeeper, RiverLink, Sierra Club, Southern Environmental Law Center, and American Whitewater, supports exploring the possibility of dam removal.
Public Benefits Worth Understanding
Craggy Dam Removal Benefits
If removal proves feasible and appropriately funded, potential benefits include:
Flood risk reduction
Craggy Dam does not provide flood control. Studies indicate flood levels immediately upstream could be 7–10 feet lower without the dam, reducing risk to homes, schools, and businesses that experienced millions in damage during Hurricane Helene.
Public safety
Low-head dams pose well-documented drowning hazards. Removal would eliminate this risk.
Ecological restoration
Removing the dam would reconnect 1,460 miles of rivers and tributaries within the French Broad watershed—restoring sediment flow, aquatic habitat, and species movement at a rare
scale.
Recreation and economic vitality
Dam removal would unlock 3.5 miles of Class II–III whitewater, expand river access, and support long-term economic activity tied to recreation, tourism, and riverfront revitalization.
Craggy Dam Removal Briefing – A Responsible Path Forward
Watch Erin McCombs, Southeast Conservation Director at American Rivers, discuss a responsible path forward to removing Craggy Dam -March 2026
Economic Analysis – The Value of the Craggy Dam by economist Stratford Douglas
Craggy Dam Removal Study
Between 2024 and 2025, American Rivers and MSD partnered in a study funded by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, which investigated the costs, benefits, and feasibility of dam removal. From this report, we’ve learned that no known constraints—engineering, sediment, or regulatory—make dam removal impossible. Dam removal is technically feasible and potentially fundable, pending full due diligence.
The Craggy Dam Removal Study assesses the outcomes of a proposed river restoration project on the French Broad River, removing Craggy Dam, a 120-year-old in-stream barrier and hydropower facility operated by the Buncombe County Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) in Woodfin, North Carolina (NC). The study explores environmental, social, and economic benefits, along with the existing and alternative energy solutions to replace hydropower production.
