60 Dams in 15 States to be Breached.

[JoseCuervo]

WASHINGTON, July 21 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The explosive breaching of Embrey Dam on Virginia's Rappahannock River in February was broadcast nationwide -- and was just one of many dams to be blown up or torn down in 2004. According to American Rivers' annual survey of government and private conservation organizations, 60 dams in 14 states and the District of Columbia have or will be removed in 2004. Rivers and streams will be restored in Alaska, California, Connecticut, D.C., Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

More than 145 dams have been removed since 1999 when the breaching of Edwards Dam on Maine's Kennebec River first captured national attention. This promising trend is the result of two converging developments -- a growing appreciation of the ecological benefits of removing dams and the aging of much of the nation's dam infrastructure.

"There comes a time in the life of many dams when they begin to make less sense than they have in the past," explained Serena McClain, of American Rivers' Rivers Unplugged campaign. "Communities across the country are electing to remove derelict and obsolete dams to restore their rivers, eliminate safety hazards, and save money."

Only four dams to be removed in 2004 were ever used to generate hydroelectric power and all of them have been off the grid for many years. Of the 77,000 dams greater than 6 feet high across the country, fewer than 2,500 generate electricity. Most were built for purposes such as running now obsolete mills, controlling floods, and creating water supplies or recreational lakes.

"For these communities, dam removal is not a radical environmental move, it is a common sense decision -- the old dam isn't being used, the river would much nicer without it, and it's cheaper to take it out than to repair it," said Helen Sarakinos with the River Alliance of Wisconsin.

While dams can provide valuable services, the ecological price is high. Dams drown valuable habitat under reservoirs, block the annual migrations of fish, and can create downstream conditions inhospitable for fish and wildlife. Dams also create several safety hazards, some of which increase with age. Small dams are sometimes called "drowning machines" because they can create dangerous undertows.

Communities that choose to pull out obsolete dams enjoy once again the benefits provided by healthy free flowing rivers -- better water quality, revitalized fisheries, new recreational opportunities, and recovery of habitat suitable for parks and other public use. For example, on the Kennebec River in Maine, change has come quickly in the five years since the removal of Edwards Dam. Fish and other wildlife are returning to the river in numbers much larger than biologists predicted.

" Free flowing rivers are a magnet for anglers, boaters, and other river users ," said Leon Szeptycki, Eastern Conservation Director for Trout Unlimited. "Healthy, attractive rivers are unique assets for the communities on their banks, and can be an economic asset that others can't easily match." American Rivers, Trout Unlimited, and River Alliance of Wisconsin all provide educational, technical, and financial assistance to communities that are considering or have committed to removing a dam it no longer needs.

 

[Mr. Foreman]

 

[Washington Hunter]

That is good news. It's nice hearing something good for a change.