clearinghouse for dam removal information
   
Home News/Events Submit Request SEARCH About FAQ
 
Past News
[external links open a new browser window]
Clicking a highlighted river or dam name will search the
Clearinghouse database for items about that river/dam.

»June 29, 2008 - Rutland Herald (VT)
Un-damming our rivers

»June 28, 2008 - The Plain Dealer (OH)
Dam removal might bring walleye boom by D'Arcy Egan

»June 24, 2008 - The Birmingham News (AL)
Cahaba River dam removal restores river life by Katherine Bouma
Alabama's first dam removal to save aquatic life has succeeded at restoring populations of various species, scientists say. Once a year, biologists sit on the shoals of the Cahaba River 40 miles south of Birmingham, peering through masks or plastic-bottomed buckets to count every snail or mussel within an assigned plot. A concrete dam once used as a ... [read full article]

»June 24, 2008 - New York Times
Follow the Silt by Cornelia Dean
... two scientists to collaborate on a research project on the region’s waterways. As they reported this year in the journal Science, their work challenges much of the conventional wisdom about how streams in the region formed and evolved. The scientists say 18th- and 19th-century dams and millponds, built by the thousands, altered the water flow in the region in a way not previously understood. ... "an awful lot of stream restoration, if not the vast majority of it, has no empirical basis," said William E. Dietrich, a geomorphologist at University of California, Berkeley, who studies rivers and streams. "It is being done intuitively, by looks, without strong evidence. The demand is in front of the knowledge." [read full article]

»June 23, 2008 - Penn Live (PA)
Musconetcong River to be cleaned after dam removal by Lynn Olanoff
The Gruendyke Dam straddling Hackettstown and Mount Olive Township in Morris County is no more, but work at the Musconetcong River site is far from ... [read full article]

»June 22, 2008 - The Star Ledger (NJ)
Dam removal makes it cooler for trout by Fred J. Aun
The long-awaited removal of an old dam on the Musconetcong River near Hackettstown might already be letting the river run cooler and, therefore, be better for trout. Brian Cowden, Trout Unlimited's Musconectcong Home Rivers Initiative Coordinator, said the June 15 breach of the former impoundment seemed to cause a significant decrease in the Musky's temperature downstream of ... [read full article]

»June 20(?), 2008 - Wisconsin Dells (WI)
Big Spring Dam removal set to start July 7 by Trevor Kupfer
The New Haven Town Board and landowner Mark Knutson ironed out the details of the agreement to remove Big Spring Dam last week and, on Thursday, those parties signed the fifth draft of the document to allow work to ... [read full article]

»June 19, 2008 - News Virginian (VA)
River could see restoration: Science team studying idea of helping out the South River by Sage Merritt
Some areas of the South River in Waynesboro may get a facelift, according to members of a local team devoted to studying environmental issues on the waterway. The South River Science Team is studying the possibility of restoring a stretch of eroded riverbank on the former DuPont property and removing obsolete dams that hold back water along the ... [read full article]

»June 19(?), 2008 - Baraboo News Republic (WI)
Experts: Dams would make flooding worse by Tim Damos
Former dams along the Baraboo River in Baraboo would not have prevented the flooding residents saw last week. But they could have made things worse, experts say. "Those dams did not have any flood control capacity at all," said Andy Morton, lower Wisconsin basin supervisor for the state Department of Natural Resources. "As far as controlling or preventing this water from ... [read full article]

»June 19, 2008 - The Times Record (ME)
Little River dam eyed for removal
LISBON -- State officials are considering aiding the return of Atlantic salmon to the Little River, an Androscoggin tributary dividing Lisbon and Topsham, and currently home to an unused dam impeding the ... [read full article]

»June 19, 2008 - Boston Globe
FPL Energy Hydro moving forward with dam removal
WINSLOW, Maine--FPL Energy is moving forward with the removal of a dam on the Sebasticook River now that it has received a favorable ruling by the Winslow Zoning Board of ... [read full article]

»June 17, 2008 - American Rivers [press release]
New Salmon Plan Fails to Address Effects of Dams, Global Warming: American Rivers Urges Judge Redden to Give New Administration a Chance to Get it Right by Michael Garrity
WASHINGTON, DC - June 17 - Today a coalition of environmental and fishing organizations, including American Rivers, sued the National Marine Fisheries Service over the 2008 Biological Opinion, or Salmon Plan, on the Columbia and Snake river dams. The new Salmon Plan is the third attempt by NMFS in eight years to submit a plan that passes legal muster. Statement by Michael Garrity ... [read full article]

»June 16, 2008 - Columbus Dispatch (OH)
Dam removal high priority, Corps says by Mark Ferenchik
It's supposed to cost $1.82 million to remove the 5th Avenue low-head dam on the Olentangy River. The city didn't get the federal money it said it needed to begin taking out the dam this ... [read full article]

»June 16?, 2008 - Missoulian (MT)
The work goes on: Despite spate of wet weather, demolition of Milltown Dam continues unabated by John Cramer
MILLTOWN - Demolition of the second half of Milltown Dam is moving ahead despite recent rains and snowmelt that have muddied the Superfund site and swollen the Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers. Milltown workers also marked another milestone this week when they removed the 1-millionth ton of contaminated sediment, which was tainted by mine and smelter tailings from Butte and Anaconda over the past century. Project officials said the dam's remains - including the spillway, divider block and radial gate - will be gone by this fall. "Everything's looking good," said Ben Johnson, project engineer for ... [read full article]

»June 14, 2008 - The Daily World
State grant will help with dam removal by Jacob Jones
A state salmon recovery grant will help Hoquiam remove an aging dam and move toward obtaining new water rights to switch the city’s source of drinking water to wells. City Administrator Brian Shay said removing a concrete dam on the north fork of the Little Hoquiam River is expected to cost about $750,000. The project could begin next ... [read full article]

»June 12, 2008 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Storm solutions: Addressing dams must be priority by Helen Sarakinos
The ongoing rains and flash floods in southern Wisconsin are bringing national attention to dams and flooding in this state and throughout the Midwest. With climate experts predicting more severe weather in the coming years and with more than 3,800 documented dams in the state (and many others undocumented), we need to give serious thought to managing our dams so we don’t keep making national headlines. The facts are disquieting: Our dams are getting old. As of 2000, 42% of dams in Wisconsin’s rivers were older than 50 years. That percentage will grow to 78% by 2020. Yet many of the dams have not been inspected regularly, state funds to help with repair or removal of old dams have dried up and the density of homes and people along shorelines is increasing. ... [read full article]

»June 11, 2008 - The Monterey County Herald (CA)
$3M OK'D for Dam Project
The California Costal Conservancy has approved $3 million in funding for final project plans and permits to remove the San Clemente Dam on the Carmel River. The decision was made Thursday during the Conservancy's board meeting in Sacramento. California American Water Company will contribute up to an additional $3 million for the project phase. The total cost for demolishing the dam and rerouting the river through the San Clemente Creek is estimated at $83 million. Cal Am, which owns the dam, is expected to pay $49 million, with the rest coming from state, private and possibly federal funds. In 1992, the dam was declared unsafe by the ... [read full article]

»June 11, 2008 - The Morning Call (PA)
In Bethlehem, so long to the ol' swimming hole: City plans to tear down Saucon Creek dam by Nicole Radzievich
... this summer, the 1930s-era dam is coming down. As part of a $155,096 creek restoration project, the city is removing the 75-foot-long stone structure and widening the streambed. The city will also get rid of an island and the small footbridge which Melody and others use to ... [read full article]

»June 10, 2008 - Associated Press
U.S., PacifiCorp talking about Klamath dam removal
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) -- PacifiCorp and the federal government are in talks over how to resolve a formal proposal to remove hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River to help struggling salmon runs. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman Alex Pitts confirmed Tuesday that federal agencies and the utility are in continuing "conversations" about a hydropower agreement, but would not characterize that as removal of ... [read full article]

»June 10, 2008 - The Ann Arbor News (MI)
Demolition starts on Mill Creek dam: When work is done, creek will be free flowing by Lisa Allmendinger
Construction workers chipped away at a century of history in downtown Dexter on Monday as they began tearing out the dam on Mill Creek. A large construction machine was driven out into Mill Creek around 8 a.m. and its operator began slamming a large metal rod into the concrete at the top of the dam, which is under the Main Street bridge. As a small group of city officials and onlookers stood on the ... [read full article]

»June 9, 2008 - The Oregonian (OR)
Salmon runs on Rogue expected to revive once dams come down by Matthew Preusch
One of Oregon's storied rivers is on the cusp of a major makeover. What's happening on the Rogue River isn't so much transformation as reversion. Dams built during the previous century will come down. Reservoirs will return to running water. And soon, for the first time in more than 100 years, the Rogue could flow unimpeded for 157 miles from the ... [read full article]

»June 8, 2008 - National Public Radio (NPR)
Engineers Report More U.S. Dams Deteriorating Weekend Edition
As part of a monthlong series on America's infrastructure, Weekend Edition takes a closer look at the nation's dams. Nearly 80,000 dams across the country help control floods, provide hydroelectric power and regulate the water supply. But the number of dams considered unsafe has jumped 33 percent in the past decade, according to a report card by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Guest Host Audie Cornish speaks with ASCE Deputy Executive Director Larry Roth. [Listen to the 5 minute audio]

»June 5, 2008 - Naperville Sun (IL)
Open house scheduled on dam removal by Kathy Cichon
[...] The projects call for the removal of the dam at McDowell Grove in Naperville and a portion of the dam at Warrenville Grove in Warrenville, both on the West Branch of the DuPage River. They were built in the late 1930s as part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps. The goal was to ... [read full article]

»May 27, 2008 - New York Times (NY)
Montana Dam Is Breached, Slowly, to Restore a Superfund Site by Jim Robbins
MILLTOWN, Mont. - Milltown Dam, a symbol of industrial progress that became a symbol of destruction, was recently breached, and two parts of the Clark Fork River were joined again. There was no dynamite, no wrecking balls, no 'blow and go' removal. Instead, an earthen dam blocking a specially built channel was removed to allow a small trickle of water to flow through and gradually grow larger. The main part of the dam will be demolished over ... [read full article]

»May 25, 2008 - Augusta Chronicle (ME)
Another Augusta benefited from dam removal by Rob Pavey
As an example of how the Savannah River might fare if New Savannah Bluff Lock & Dam were removed, environmental groups such as The Nature Conservancy have cited one of the nation's first dam removal projects, which occurred in 1999 in Augusta, Maine. Just like its New Savannah Bluff counterpart, the Edwards Dam -- demolished to allow the Kennebec River to run free -- was obsolete and impeded the river's natural flow and the ... [read full article]

»May 22, 2008 - Fosters Daily Democrat (NH)
Winnicut Dam removal funding discussed at Fish and Game session by Charles McMahon
GREENLAND - The state Fish and Game Commission held its monthly meeting Wednesday at the Great Bay Discovery Center. All 10 commissioners gathered at the Fish and Game Department's local facility to discuss various statewide projects and concerns. Among those was funding for the removal of the Winnicut Dam which is situated at the head-of-tide on the Winnicut River in Greenland and represents the only man-made barrier to upstream fish movement along the main stem of ... [read full article]

»May 17, 2008 - Florida Times-Union (FL)
40 years later, debate over Rodman dam rages on: Passions still run high in the prolonged fight over restoring the Ocklawaha River by Deirdre Conner
Just three years after the [Rodman] dam went up, the feds abandoned the ill-fated Cross-Florida Barge Canal project. But the dam - and the debate over it - remains. The dam has survived seven presidents. It - or, more accurately, its politically powerful supporters - have defied the three governors and the half-dozen state and federal agencies that have ordered its removal and restoration of the ... [read full article]

»May 15, 2008 - Andover Townsman (MA)
Experts study Shawsheen's future: Dam removal evaluation begins by Brian Messenger
Before humans built water wheels and dams to harness the Shawsheen River's power, for thousands of years the river ran unimpeded into the Merrimack River and, eventually, the Atlantic Ocean. Such conditions could make a return in Andover, but not before experts, town officials and residents weigh in on the potential impact of removing the Shawsheen River's three remaining dams through a study now ... [read full article]

»May 15, 2008 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA)
Jackson dam removal delayed until next year by Ken McCarthy
A dam on the Connoquenessing Creek in Jackson that was slated to be removed this year likely will remain in place until 2009. Frank Moone, a trustee for Wild Waterways Conservancy, which owns the site, said the group remains committed to removing the dam, but it will take ... [read full article]

»April 26?, 2008 - Missoulian (MT)
$37 million Mike Horse settlement reached by John Cramer
BONNER - It was a good day for fish. The spirit of the late author and fly-fishing practitioner Norman Maclean was invoked Friday along the banks of the Blackfoot River as state and federal officials announced a $37 million settlement to remove the Mike Horse Dam and mining wastes from the river's headwaters. The settlement, which resolves ... [read full article]
ALSO SEE: Cleanup deal expected from Arco, Asarco by Eve Byron
, Independent Record 4/25/08

»April 26, 2008 - Worthington Daily Globe (MN)
Luverne seeking money for dam safety by Kari Lucin
WORTHINGTON - The Luverne City Council recognized the city’s aging dam is unsafe Tuesday and then asked its administrator to apply to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for dam safety funds. "If all this funding does come together, we could possibly have a project sometime after August this year, or ... [read full article]

»April 19, 2008 - San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Restoration at Montana dam showing progress by Maurice Possley
Every spring, hundreds of thousands of spawning fish swim up the Clark Fork River through Missoula, Mont., only to be stopped just east of town by the Milltown Dam. Some hang around for months seeking a way past the concrete wall. Many die trying. For the first time in 100 years, a 13-inch rainbow trout made it upstream of the dam in recent days. "This is an amazing achievement," said David Schmetterling, a fisheries biologist for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks. "We are undoing a century's worth of ... [read full article]

»April 18, 2008 - Citizen-Times (NC)
Pair of dams to be removed: Project to aid canoers, wildlife by Nanci Bompey
SPRUCE PINE - Removal of a pair of old dams in Mitchell and Yancey counties will help pave the way for a proposed paddling and canoe trail along the Toe River. The Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development Council plans to remove the 10-foot-high Toe River dam outside Spruce Pine this fall and the 50-foot-high Cane River dam upstream from ... [read full article]

»April 17, 2008 - EurekAlert (Blackwell Publishing)
Dam removal increases property values
Lewiston, ME - April 17, 2008 - Two new studies appearing in Contemporary Economic Policy explore the impact of dam removal on local property values and find that property values increase after dams are removed. Lynne Y. Lewis, Ph.D., of Bates College and researchers utilized geographic information systems mapping software to examine the effects of small hydropower dams on property values in Maine. The study examined the effects on property values of the Edwards dam in Augusta which was removed in 1999, as well as two other existing dams located elsewhere on the ... [read full article]
The articles are:
"Dams, Dam Removal, and River Restoration: A Hedonic Property Value Analysis" by Lewis, Bohlen and Wilson.
"Does Dam Removal Affect Local Property Values? An Empirical Analysis" by Provencher, Sarakinos and Meyer [Note the 1996 staff paper edition is also available from the Clearinghouse database]

»April 17?, 2008 - Wisconsin Dells Events (WI)
Easement detains dam removal by Trevor Kupfer
Though the New Haven Town Board heard the promising news that Adams County agreed to fund half of the culvert under Golden Court, the town's plans for Big Spring Dam and Creek met more hurdles Thursday in the form of a letter of agreement with landowner Mark Knutson and a letter from Lake Mason Management District. The board approved the ... [read full article]

»April 16, 2008 - News-Press (FL)
Groups to pay to remove Cape dam, lift
Three groups plan to set aside $3.5 million in taxpayer dollars for a new dam in the Cape's northwest canal system. With the money set aside, the Lee County Commission and a slate of environmental groups may soon allow Cape Coral to remove a breached dam and lift just south of Ceitus Parkway and Old Burnt Store Road South. [read full article]

»April 15, 2008 - Kennebec Morning Sentinel (ME)
In Winslow, dam fight continues
WINSLOW -- The long anticipated removal of Fort Halifax Dam appeared to clear its final hurdle last month when the Planning Board signed off on FPL Energy's breaching plan. But two appeals submitted by residents Monday open the plan to a new round of ... [read full article]

»April 14, 2008 - Kennebec Morning Sentinel (ME)
Legal fees could continue to mount over dam removal
WINSLOW -- The town spent $22,593 for the legal fees involved in evaluating FPL Energy's application to remove Fort Halifax Dam -- an application the Planning Board approved March 17. Add to that more than $7,000 the town paid for ... [read full article]

»April 9, 2008 - Clark Fork Chronicle (MT)
Downstream from Milltown: Biologist expects some impact at Alberton, little at Superior by John Q. Murray
Fisheries biologists are closely monitoring the effects of the recent Milltown Dam breaching, which allowed the Blackfoot River to flow into the Clark Fork channel late last month. Based on data collected over the past few years from six monitoring stations, including one at the Missoula-Mineral county line near Alberton, biologists expect higher fish mortality rates this spring and summer. They also expect ... [read full article]

»April 9, 2008 - Seattle Post Intelligencer (WA)
Restrictions tightening on Columbia: Snake River dams again in cross hairs by Lisa Stiffler
The collapse of the California salmon stocks makes people wonder: Could it happen here? The Sacramento River is a prime source for the fish caught on the California coast. The Columbia River is the backbone for Washington. The Sacramento is No. 2 and the Columbia No. 1 in the contiguous United States for salmon production from a river system. Both have seen huge declines in their salmon populations from historic levels. Both ideally are managed to balance ... [read full article]

»April 7, 2008 - The Oregonian (OR)
Tribes, feds make deal on Columbia River salmon by Scott Learn
Government dam operators on the Columbia River have agreed to pay up to $1 billion to Northwest tribes for fishery improvements in exchange for the tribes agreeing to back off a key lawsuit and support dam operations for a decade, salmon activists said ... [read full article]

»April 6, 2008 - Monterey County Herald (CA)
Coastal Commission to consider funding San Clemente Dam project
The state Coastal Conservancy will consider allocating $6 million in funding for project design and permits for the Carmel River rerouting and San Clemente Dam removal project when it meets April 24 in Dana Point in Orange County. [Send]Comments to the board ... [read full article]
More documents on the San Clemente Dam will be added to the database shortly. Please check back again soon.

»April 2?, 2008 - Missoulian (MT)
Into the breach - Clark Fork, Blackfoot rivers punch through Milltown Dam by John Cramer
MILLTOWN - Milltown Dam, a 100-year-old landmark that came to symbolize the economic prosperity and environmental destruction of Montana's mining industry, came down Friday. The forces of man and nature combined - in the form of tons of water seeking the path of least resistance and a heavy equipment operator who dug out the last of a temporary earthen dike - to allow the Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers to flow freely for the ... [read full article]
Article includes video of the breaching.

»March 29, 2008 - Reuters (UK)
At toxic Montana dam, a river now runs through it by Jeff Hull
MILLTOWN, Montana (Reuters) - Engineers breached a hydroelectric dam in Montana on Friday, the first time an American dam was removed to clean up toxic sediments captured behind it from years of mining upriver. The intent was the restore some of the ... [read full article]

»March 27, 2008 - Monterey County Herald (CA)
Panel urges Carmel River reroute - San Clemente Dam: Multiphase removal estimated at $83 million by Kevin Howe
Complete removal of the San Clemente Dam and rerouting of the Carmel River above the dam through a nearby creek is "the only acceptable, feasible plan" for shutting down the dam, according to a panel that ... [read full article]

»March 25, 2008 - The Greenville News
Engineering firm named as Twelve Mile dams removal gets back on track by Anna Simon
CATEECHEE -- After months with no apparent action to remove two dams from the Twelve Mile River, two engineering firms have been selected for the job and on site work could start in late summer ... [read full article]

»March 23[??], 2008 - Missoulian (MT)
Milltown Dam enters its final days by John Cramer
**Article includes video about Milltown Dam and a sitemap graphic.**
MILLTOWN - Lacking wood to knock on, Keith Large tapped his knuckles on his hard hat as he stood on the banks of the Clark Fork River. "So far, so good," he said. At the Milltown Reservoir Superfund site, the river was diverted into a bypass channel two days ago, the last step before the Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers are released Friday from their century-long confinement behind Milltown Dam. It will be the first time since 1908 that the rivers have flowed freely, a milestone in the $120 million cleanup, restoration and redevelopment of ... [read full article]

»March 23, 2008 - Kennebec Journal: Morning Sentinel (ME)
WINSLOW Breach of dam nearing Removal process may start in July and last 7-8 months
WINSLOW -- Fort Halifax Dam, the 100-year-old hydroelectric facility on the Sebasticook River, continues to use its turbines to produce electric power. But the end is approaching for the dam now that FPL Energy has received Planning Board approval to move forward on its project to remove a portion of the dam this ... [read full article]

»March 22, 2008 - Bonner County Daily Bee (MT)
Cleanup may add sediment to CF River by Adam Herrenbruck
THOMPSON FALLS, Mont. - An important step is taking place this week in the cleanup process at the Milltown Reservoir Sediments Superfund site, east of Missoula, and the results will have some impact on the Clark Fork. On Tuesday the river was diverted into a bypass channel so that next week the coffer dam can be breached, allowing the Clark Fork to flow freely for the first time in 100 years ... [read full article]

»March 21, 2008 - Indybay (CA)
Klamath Dam Removal Advocates Win Major Victory in Dams Toxics Case by Dan Bacher
Orleans, CA -- Klamath Riverkeeper won a major concession today from the Environmental Protection Agency related to the toxic algae created by PacifiCorp’s reservoirs on the Klamath River. In the wake of litigation filed by Klamath Riverkeeper, the agency reconsidered its decision to not ... [read full article]

»March 19, 2008 - New West
Milltown Dam Removal Marks Milestone, Water Rerouted by Peter Metcalf
The removal of Milltown Dam marked another milestone Tuesday when the Blackfoot River poured into the bypass channel dug along Interstate 90. Project managers chose to backfill the channel from the Blackfoot River first to protect equipment and better manage downstream flows, said Ben Johnson, an Envirocon project engineer. On Friday, Envirocon workers will remove the steel and earthen coffer dam at the channel’s inlet to reroute the Clark Fork River and Deer Creek into the bypass channel in anticipation of the next big event, the breach of the Milltown dam itself. ... [read full article]

»March 18, 2008 - Kennebec Journal: Morning Sentinel (ME)
WINSLOW Dam breach OK'd
WINSLOW -- FPL Energy appears to have cleared the final hurdle to its plan to breach Fort Halifax Dam this summer. The Winslow Planning Board in an unanimous vote Monday night approved the energy company's application to remove a portion of the 100-year-old hydroelectric facility on the Sebasticook River. That approval comes after federal and state regulators signed off on ... [read full article]

»March 14, 2008 - EPA Newsroom
Milltown Dam: Water to Flow into Clark Fork River Bypass Channel
(Helena, Mont. -- March 14, 2008) The Milltown Dam cleanup near Missoula, Mont., is approaching another milestone. After a year of construction, the Clark Fork River bypass channel is complete and ready for water. On Tuesday, March 18, the plan is to open the outlet of the Clark Fork River bypass channel to fill the channel with water from the Blackfoot River. It should take approximately 14 hours and 44 million gallons of water to ... [read full article]

»March 12, 2008 - Kennebec Journal: Morning Sentinel (ME)
FORT HALIFAX Dam removal goes back to planners
WINSLOW -- FPL Energy has yet to get Winslow Planning Board approval to move forward on its plan to breach Fort Halifax Dam this summer. But that situation could change Thursday when the energy company goes before the board once more. Town Manager Michael Heavener is looking into the availability of federal funds to help relocate residents of Dallaire Street. Owners of those homes, which are perched on a riverbank of questionable stability, may be in jeopardy when dam removal drains the ... [read full article]

»March 8, 2008 - Express-Times (NJ)
Grants to fund local projects by Kurt Bresswein
BETHLEHEM | Saucon Creek could flow more freely by fall, thanks in part to state grant money announced Friday for a plan to remove a dam within Saucon Park and make other improvements. Lower Macungie Township-based Wildlands Conservancy is receiving $325,670 for the work through Pennsylvania's Growing Greener program. [read full article]

»March 7, 2008 - Mail Tribune (OR)
Future of Gold Ray Dam up in air: County officials will complete study so they can decide whether to notch or remove the dam by Mark Freeman
Jackson County officials this summer plan to start laying the foundation for deciding whether to notch or remove Gold Ray Dam and create a free-flowing Rogue River from Lost Creek Lake to the sea for salmon and ... [read full article]

»March 7, 2008 - Cabinet Press (NH)
Merrimack Village Dam to be removed this summer by Mark Oullette
The Merrimack Village Dam, one of the most "awe inspiring" historical fixtures in town, might be removed starting in July, according to the dam’s owner. Steve Densberger, executive president of Pennichuck Water Works, said the company acquired the dam by default in 1964 and ... [read full article]

»March 3, 2008 - Innovations Report (Germany)
Geotimes: Down with the Dams: Unchaining U.S. Rivers
Dam removal is gaining popularity across the country and the March issue of Geotimes explores this new trend, and what happens when the dams come down. The number of large and small dams being removed from U.S. rivers is few, but increasing, as both river restoration gains popularity and aging dams lose their license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. But with these removals come ecological and geological unknowns. Geotimes follows the story of Marmot Dam in northwestern Oregon to learn more about ... [read full article]
Also visit the Geotimes feature on dam removal by Jim O’Connor, Jon Major and Gordon Grant.

»February 29, 2008 - Kennebec Journal: Morning Sentinel (ME)
Dam breaching discussion drags on with Winslow planners
WINSLOW -- FPL Energy had hoped to see its application for partial removal of Fort Halifax Dam approved by Winslow planners Thursday night. That outcome seemed farfetched three hours into a meeting that drew a full house in the Town Office meeting room. Planners at 9 p.m. had just begun to evaluate the eight criteria they need to cover before granting a ... [read full article]

»February 27, 2008 - California Farm Bureau Federation
Irrigators clash over proposed Klamath deal by Christine Souza
Irrigators who once stood alongside one another and protested the Klamath Basin water shut-off in 2001 are now at odds over a proposed settlement agreement that would potentially benefit one group of irrigators and may cause problems for ... [read full article]

»February 26, 2008 - Kennebec Journal: Morning Sentinel (ME)
Plans to remove dam have homeowner worried
WINSLOW -- Scott Hermey is a bit on edge these days and for good reason: He's been told there's a chance his home could slide into the Sebasticook River this summer. That is one of the potential effects of the planned partial removal of the Fort Halifax Dam, according to Sebago Technics, an engineering firm hired by ... [read full article]

»February [25?], 2008 - Missoulian (MT)
Milltown Dam leaves a long legacy by Jake Grilley and Sean Breslin
Right now, the confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers doesn't look a whole lot like Scenic Postcard, Montana. With excavators and dump trucks grinding along gravel roads outside Milltown and train cars squealing in and out daily, the construction site could be the foundation for a new mega-mega Wal-Mart. What's happening though - unnatural as it looks - is aimed at bringing nature back. It's been 100 years since the Clark Fork River flowed freely. But each day the machinery scoops up metals-laced sediments and dumps them into railcars bound for Opportunity, the area is one day closer to its original, untainted, dam-free state. From an environmental standpoint, the Milltown Dam - erected in 1905 to provide power to the Missoula area and nearby lumber mills - has been a ... [read full article]

»February 24, 2008 - San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Matt Stoecker's plan is to set the steelhead free to get back to Corte Madera Creek by Sam Whiting
Searsville Dam has held back San Francisquito Creek for about 115 years. It won't make 125 if Matt Stoecker can get it torpedoed to let the steelhead finally come home. Stoecker, 32, is ... [read full article]

»February [22?], 2008 - Missoulian (MT)
Authorities discuss Milltown Dam removal impact by John Cramer
MILLTOWN - At one point in David Schmetterling's PowerPoint presentation Thursday night, the state fisheries biologist was discussing the aquatic impacts expected when the Milltown Dam is breached next month. For all the engineering, scientific and financial precautions taken to lessen the damage, project officials know the critical factor will be whether Mother Nature cooperates this spring when the ... [read full article]

»February 21, 2008 - Siskiyou Daily News (CA)
Cook: Klamath decision can’t be ’made lightly’ by Brad Smith
SISKIYOU COUNTY - The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors held the afternoon session of their regular meeting yesterday at the Yreka Community Theater. The larger venue was chosen to allow maximum public attendance, as the board examined issues surrounding the proposed Klamath River Basin Restoration Agreement and ... [read full article]

»February 21, 2008 - Missoulian (MT)
Researchers unsure how dam removal will affect river's ecosystem by John Cramer
MILLTOWN - Researchers have known for years that a significant number of fish will die in the short term when Milltown Dam is removed, abruptly forcing the Clark Fork River to start reverting to its natural state for the first time in a century. But with the dam to be breached next month, researchers remain uncertain of how many fish, insects and other aquatic organisms will perish, how long that impact will last and how far downstream it will reach. "Milltown is unique," said state fisheries biologist Dave Schmetterling, who has been studying the dam's impacts for a decade. "There are a lot of ... [read full article]

»February 16, 2008 - Kennebec Journal: Morning Sentinel (ME)
Dam decision could come Feb. 28
WINSLOW -- FPL Energy has nearly cleared the final barrier to its plan to breach Fort Halifax Dam. The Winslow Planning Board on Thursday night indicated that its approval of the energy company's dam removal application could come as soon as Feb. 28 -- that is when the board has scheduled its next meeting on the issue. The session is slated to begin at 6 p.m. at the Town Office. "I think we are getting close," F. Allen Wiley of FPL Energy said Friday. "Whether that ... [read full article]

»February 15, 2008 - Nashua Telegraph (NH)
Plans set for Merrimack Village Dam's removal this year by Karen Lovett
MERRIMACK - To some, the Merrimack Village Dam is an important historical landmark worth saving. To others, the dam blocks important fish migrations. But no matter how you feel about it, it's coming down - probably sometime this summer. The dam's owner, Pennichuck Corp., wants to remove the defunct structure because it would be costly to repair and a liability to ... [read full article]

»February 14, 2008 - Whitefish Pilot (MT)
Local firm to remake river valley by Richard Hanners
River Design Group, a Whitefish company that oversees river restoration projects across the Pacific Northwest, was recently awarded the implementation contract for restoration of the Milltown Reservoir site east of Missoula. "This is one of the largest projects of ... [read full article]

»February 11, 2008 - Indian Country Today (ME)
$25 million raised to begin ambitious Penobscot River Restoration Project by Gale Courey Toensing
INDIAN ISLAND, Maine - The Penobscot Indian Nation and its public and private partners have raised $25 million for the first phase of the Penobscot River Restoration Project, an unprecedented collaborative effort between tribal, federal, and state governments, industry, and conservation groups, working to restore self sustaining populations of native migratory fish while fulfilling the need for hydro electric power generation. ... The decommissioning and removal of a dam is as complex as creating and licensing one. The trust and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission have held a series of ... [read full article]

»February 11, 2008 - Indian Country Today (ME)
$25 million raised to begin ambitious Penobscot River Restoration Project by Gale Courey Toensing
NDIAN ISLAND, Maine - The Penobscot Indian Nation and its public and private partners have raised $25 million for the first phase of the Penobscot River Restoration Project, an unprecedented collaborative effort between tribal, federal, and state governments, industry, and conservation groups, working to restore self sustaining populations of native migratory fish while fulfilling the need for hydro electric power generation. ... The decommissioning and removal of a dam is as complex as creating and licensing one. The trust and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission have held a series of ... [read full article]

»February 9, 2008 - The Patriot-News (PA)
Dam removal helped stream, study says by T.W. Burger
It has been more than four months since South Middleton Twp. tore out the remains of an old dam on the Yellow Breeches Creek, a beloved trout stream. "It's like they took a piece of you apart when ... [read full article]

»February 6, 2008 - Peninsula Daily News (WA)
Elwha dam removal project cost rising to $308 million by Brian Gawley
PORT ANGELES -- The three-year Elwha River dams removal project will begin in 2012 and cost an estimated $308 million, plus or minus 15 percent, the National Park Service said. The estimated cost of removing the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams from the Elwha River has increased from the $135 million price tag cited in its ... [read full article]

»February 5, 2008 - Worthington Daily Globe (MN)
Jackson resolves dam issue
JACKSON - The Des Moines River Dam in Jackson will be replaced by a series of spread-out rock riffles, the Jackson City Council unanimously decided Monday. The riffles can potentially be placed to keep the level of the river near to its current state, lowering it only ... [read full article]

»February 4, 2008 - Penn State York (PA)
Science and Technology Seminar Series begins Feb. 5
"The Elwha River Restoration: Microbial Communities and Nutrients as Indicators of Habitat Change" is the topic that kicks off Penn State York's sixth annual Science and Technology Seminar Series Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 4:30 p.m. The 10-week series, in the Community Room of the Joe and Rosie Ruhl Student Community Center at the campus, is free and open to the public. ...
The first seminar features William Eaton, Ph.D., senior vice president of academics and director of the Center of Excellence, Peninsula College, Port Angeles, Washington. Eaton will talk about the possible changes in microbes and nutrients of the Elwha River after the removal of two dams that have blocked fish passage (migratory salmon) since the early 1900s in Washington State. The state and the Elwha Indian tribe have worked to get the dams removed and this process will begin by 2012. The result of removing the dams is the release of about 8 million metric yards of sediment into the river.
As the largest dam removal ever conducted and ... [read full article]

»February 4, 2008 - The Lantern (OSU, OH)
Dam demolition doomed by Ingrid Rivera
The demolition of the Fifth Avenue Dam is in jeopardy due to federal budget cuts, according to a Feb. 1 press release from the city. Of the total $1.82 million cost of the project, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had agreed to pay $1.2 million, but that entire amount has been cut. The city had agreed to pay the remaining $640,000, which are the fines owed by ... [read full article]

»February 4, 2008 - Berkshire Eagle (MA)
Clarksburg dam being removed Giving life to a river by Scott Stafford
CLARKSBURG - About 18 months ago, Cascade School Supplies, which had recently bought the property it had been leasing, learned that it also owned a dam. Well, once it was a dam. Now it's just a silt farm in the North Branch of the Hoosic River. Today, the company is fervently working to get rid of ... [read full article]

»February 1, 2008 - Grand Forks Herald (MN)
MINNESOTA: Residents relieved dam's removal not listed as an option by David Dobbs
LAKE BRONSON STATE PARK - Consultants told a packed house of concerned residents Thursday that they will recommend six alternatives to improve the safety of a popular dam here that provides recreational opportunities and an economic engine for the ... [read full article]

»January 31, 2008 - The Columbian (WA)
A River Restored: Pulling the Plug by Erik Robinson
SANDY, Ore. - A puff of white smoke and a cheering throng marked the official demise of Marmot Dam last summer. Portland General Electric's decision to breach the 94-year-old dam on the Sandy River fit into a recent pattern of utilities choosing to ditch relatively small energy-producing dams to help salmon. But what happens after the dignitaries go home, and a century's worth of mud, rocks and debris tumbles down the river? Researchers are only now learning what happens when ... [read full article]

»January 28, 2008 - Kennebec Journal: Morning Sentinel (ME)
Winslow: Decision on dam awaited
WINSLOW -- FPL Energy will have to wait until Feb. 14 before town planners make a decision on a permit the energy company needs to breach Fort Halifax Dam. Feb. 14 is the deadline for the Planning Board to render a decision on the matter, coming 35 days after the board voted that the ... [read full article]

»January 27, 2008 - Dayton Daily news (OH)
MetroParks officials want low dam removed: Restoration of Hills and Dales MetroPark and purchase of site next to Sycamore also on list of projects by Steve Bennish
DAYTON - Several far-reaching Five Rivers MetroParks projects are being readied for spring, MetroParks officials said. The projects include removing the Englewood low dam, restoring Hills and Dales MetroPark and purchasing a 359-acre site adjacent to Sycamore State Park from ... [read full article]

»January 26, 2008 - Peninsula Daily news (WA)
'We're not done yet': Water plant feted in mega-project to remove Elwha dams by Brian Gawley
PORT ANGELES - More than 70 people gathered Saturday morning in mixed rain and snow along the Elwha River for a groundbreaking ceremony for the second of two water treatment plants. The plants are being built to protect Port Angeles drinking water during the Elwha River dams removal project. ... [read full article]

»January 25, 2008 - Siskiyou Daily news (CA)
Supervisors hear first public comments about proposed Klamath Basin settlement agreement by Deborra Brannon
SISKIYOU COUNTY - Several Siskiyou County supervisors spoke at last Tuesday’s meeting about the need for public comment on the proposed Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement. The proposed agreement was reached by a settlement committee composed of 36 state, local, tribal, private and federal entities. It was released to the public for the first time on ... [read full article]

»January 16, 2008 - New York Times
KLAMATH RIVER
»$1 Billion Deal Would Scrap Klamath Dams
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) -- More than 300 miles of struggling salmon runs would be restored along the Klamath River as part of a landmark $1 billion proposal that represents the largest dam removal project in the nation's ...
»Deal on Dams on Klamath Advances
Bitter opponents over the future of the Klamath River unveiled a formal agreement on Tuesday to pave the way for removal of four aging hydroelectric dams that re-engineered the watershed and sharply decreased ...
-LA Times:
»Klamath water deal reached: Tribes, farmers and others draw up a plan to remove dams and revive dwindling salmon populations.
SACRAMENTO -- After more than three years of negotiations, a collection of long-quarreling Klamath Basin farmers, fishermen and tribes announced a breakthrough agreement Tuesday that they said could lead to the nation's most extensive dam-removal project. The $1-billion plan proposes to end one of the West's fiercest water wars by reviving the Klamath River's flagging salmon population while ensuring irrigation water and cheap power for farmers in the basin, which ...
Additional articles:
»Dam removal key to Klamath pact success - Capital Press
»Plan for dam removal on Klamath River - United Press International
»Agreement Reached Over Klamath River Dam Removal - eFlux Media
»Groups Offer Plan to Help Oregon Salmon - Guardian (UK)
»California Trout and Trout Unlimited: Klamath Agreement Sets Stage for Dam Removal - IndyBay (CA)
»Klamath dams do add to warming - Albany Democrat Herald (NY)
[Click the titles above to read full articles.]

»January 15, 2008 - Montana's News Station (MT)
Demolition of Milltown Dam underway
It's a sound that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Clark Fork River cleanup advocates have wanted to hear for a long time: heavy equipment beginning the process of removing the Milltown Dam. In just the last year there have been several big moments and important milestones in the Milltown Reservoir project. But, project leader Russ Forba says that Tuesday meant the demolition of ... [read full article]

»January 14, 2008 - NewsWise Science News
Obsolete U.S. Infrastructure Holds Benefits for Environment
Thousands of obsolete dams and thousands of miles of abandoned roads in America’s aging and crumbling infrastructure could still be valuable to the environment, according to a policy forum paper in this week’s Science by Martin Doyle of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and colleagues. With the baby boomer generation also came a vast increase of infrastructure - roads, bridges and dams ...
The Doyle article, "Aging Infrastructure and Ecosystem Restoration" (Science, vol. 319, p.286-287) is available from the Clearinghouse database. [read full article]

»January 13, 2008 - Kennebec Journal: Morning Sentinel (ME)
AFTER DAM REMOVAL: Winslow fretting about cost of keeping sewer line safe
WINSLOW -- Town officials have long been concerned that the removal of Fort Halifax Dam, which is planned this summer, will expose a town sewer line that the impoundment covers. An even greater concern is the cost of whatever steps may be necessary to safeguard the line in the aftermath of the expected breaching of Fort Halifax. Town Manager Michael Heavener said FPL Energy, the dam's owner, has sent him written word that ... [read full article]

»January 10, 2008 - Ann Arbor News (MI)
Plans for removing Dexter dam outlined by Lisa Allmendinger
About 65 people attended a public hearing at Creekside Intermediate School in Dexter Wednesday night to hear plans about removing the dam under the Main Street Bridge. The proposed project includes the replacement of the crumbling Main Street Bridge - a 75-foot, steel beam bridge over the Mill Creek - as well as the realignment of the road leading to the structure. The current bridge will be replaced by a 101 foot single span, 62-foot wide concrete I-beam bridge, and construction could start as early as April on the about $2.5 million ... [read full article]

»January 5, 2008 - East Oregonian (OR)
Dam goes down in Pilot Rock by Flynn Espe
Miles of Birch Creek stream water has been reopened for endangered fish, thanks to the recent removal of a decades-old irrigation dam at the north end of Pilot Rock, located at the Kinzua lumber mill site. After years of preliminary footwork from landowners and government employees, workers from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife busted a 51/2-foot-high concrete structure in late October and since have worked to redesign the stream bed and stabilize the banks. "It's a long, slow process," said Mike Montgomery, ODFW fish habitat technician. "By the time you've ... [read full article]

»January 4, 2008 - Daily News Transcript (MA)
Dam removal eyed to make way for herring in Neponset by Jeff Mucciarone
The state has been studying the feasibility of removing two dams and chemical contamination from the Neponset River in an effort to restore shad and herring runs, along with unimpeded boating and other recreational opportunities to a 17-mile section of the river from Walpole to the ocean.
The Massachusetts Riverways Program and Division of Marine Fisheries had initially planned to present findings last month, but were forced to move their presentation back due to weather. The state will make its presentation Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m. at St. Gregory School's auditorium at 2214 Dorchester Avenue in Dorchester.
Two state-owned dams located on the border between Milton, Hyde Park and Dorchester have long blocked the river. Several sites along the river contain river-bottom sediments that are heavily contaminated with toxic polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, which were discovered during the course of the state's study. ... [read full article]

»December 23, 2007 - The Star Ledger (NJ)
Blockage removed, so dam can be, too by Fred J. Aun
The Musconetcong Watershed Association and Trout Unlimited have something extra to celebrate this week: After enduring a long series of hassles and disappointments, they will soon begin dismantling the re mains of an obsolete dam on the Musconetcong River. The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has issued the final necessary permit for the project, said officials with the MWA and TU. As early as this week, work can begin on the long- awaited removal of the Gruendyke Dam on the ... [read full article]

»December 19, 2007 - Roanoke Times (VA)
Franklin County supervisors OK Pigg River project: An environmental assessment is needed before the county can remove the dam and build a kayak park. by Ruth Tisdale
ROCKY MOUNT -- The Franklin County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to fund the environmental assessment needed before a dam on the Pigg River near Rocky Mount can be removed. The county is considering removing the dam to build a kayak park on the site that will be the first of its kind in the region. The environmental review could have been funded by the federal government but it would have taken nearly two years to complete, according to Scott Martin, director of commerce and leisure services in the county. By allowing the county to pay for the assessment, it will take only nine months to complete. ... [read full article]

»December 18, 2007 - The Morning Call (PA)
Dam being removed from Tohickon Creek
Crews began work last week to remove an obsolete dam on Tohickon Creek in Ralph Stover State Park near Pipersville, Bucks County.
The dam, which spans the creek near the park's famous High Rocks vista, should be removed by Christmas.
"Instead of a river held hostage by a useless dam, communities will soon have a free flowing wild and scenic river to enjoy for generations to come," Rebecca Wodder, president of the conservation group American Rivers, said in a news release.
The dam's removal will restore the creek's habitat to its original state and allow American shad and other migratory fish to reach upstream habitat for the first time in generations.
The $60,000 removal project is being funded by a coalition that includes American Rivers, Fish America Foundation, state Department of Environmental Protection, state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, state Fish and Boat Commission and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

»Additional information available from an American Rivers press release.

»December 18, 2007 - Kennebec Journal: Morning Sentinel (ME)
Winslow Planning Board now holds fate of Ft. Halifax Dam by Colin Hickey
WINSLOW -- FPL Energy has received the OK to breach the Fort Halifax Dam from the Army Corps of Engineers, Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. But the Winslow Planning Board is a different matter. Last week planners for a second time asked FPL Energy to provide more information about ... [read full article]

»December [15], 2007 - Missoulian (MT)
Milltown Reservoir cleanup will go on Web by John Cramer
A century after mining wastes started quietly accumulating behind the dam, a new Web camera will provide close-up views of the Superfund site's restoration, starting in January. The Clark Fork Coalition and three of the Missoula-based Washington Corp. companies announced Friday they will install an "Eyes on Milltown" webcam to provide live video footage of the [Milltown] dam's removal. The three companies, ... [read full article]

»December 15, 2007 - The Daily Herald (UT)
Am[erican] Fork dam removal aids wildlife by Caleb Warnock
For the first time in a century, trout in American Fork River can run the stream all the way to Tibble Fork Dam. PacifiCorp has removed its one-megawatt hydroelectric plant from the river, taking out two cement dams -- one of them measuring 30 feet long and 4 feet high -- that have blocked access for trout to the 7-mile reach of the river from the mouth of the canyon to Tibble Fork Reservoir for 100 years. PacifiCorp has also donated its water rights to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, meaning that water will now remain permanently in the stream to benefit fish year-round, said ... [read full article]

»December 13, 2007 - Ann Arbor News (MI)
Dexter dam removal plans move forward by Lisa Allmendinger
The Washtenaw County Road Commission and the Village of Dexter are moving forward with plans to remove the [Dexter] dam under the Main Street Bridge next year. Removal Construction could start as early as April, and the project could be completed in November 2008, Tom Donahue of URS, the consultant hired by the village, said this week. Last month, the Road Commission applied for a permit through the State Department of Environmental Quality to remove both the dam under the Main Street Bridge and the 75-foot, steel beam bridge over Mill Creek as well as realign the ... [read full article]

»December 12, 2007 - The Smokey Mountain News (NC)
State gives dam removal a go: Duke to be forced to dredge sediment by Becky Johnson
Duke Energy has received clearance from the state to tear down the Dillsboro dam but will be forced to dredge a backlog of sediment from behind the dam first. The mandate runs counter to Duke’s wishes. Duke has vigorously protested the suggestion that it should dredge the backlogged sediment. Instead, Duke wants to cut a notch in the dam and simply let the backlogged sediment escape downstream. To help flush out the sediment, Duke proposes opening the flood gates on its dams upstream to raise the river levels and carry the sediment away. That is a bad idea, however, according to the state water quality officers. "That additional sediment would impact the ... [read full article]

»December 10, 2007 - Missoulian (MT)
Despite weather, pier work for dam removal completed by John Cramer
Recent snow and rain have turned much of the Milltown Reservoir cleanup site into a muddy mess, but another major hurdle was cleared last week when workers stabilized the Interstate 90 bridges alongside the reservoir. The wet weather has slowed progress, but the entire Superfund project - removing mining wastes, restoring the confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers, and creating a public park - remains on schedule for completion by 2011, said Diana Hammer, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Environmental Protection ... [read full article]

»December p, 2007 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA)
Fishing: Trout Unlimited unveils position on warming by Deborah Weisberg
Trout Unlimited's focus is on cold water, but this week the group released its first position statement on global warming. ... The challenge is to help fisheries build resilience now, Gillespie said, through riparian tree planting, erosion and sedimentation control, dam removal and the restoration of flood plains. "We need to protect areas where fish are still in ... [read full article]

»December 9, 2007 - The Oregonian (OR)
Let science guide dam removal, professors say: Klamath River - The two favor a "transparent, independent, peer-reviewed" study before any action by Peter Sleeth
Two leading scientists from the University of California are urging more studies of dam removal on the Klamath River before taking out any dams. In a Nov. 16 letter to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, professors Jeffrey Mount and Peter Moyle urged a group negotiating with PacifiCorp for dam removal to first do the science before letting go the wrecking ball. ". . . The impacts of dam removal will be lost if the proposed removal of hydropower dams on the Klamath River is not performed within an appropriate scientific framework," wrote ... [read full article]
Also see related article and map of Klamath dams:
»Negotiating the Klamath - Farmers, fishermen, Native Americans and environmentalists could be near a breakthrough on talks about removing four Klamath River dams to restore salmon runs and water health.
»Map of Klamath Basin (PDF), highlighting the dams in question.

»December 7, 2007 - The Oil City Derrick (PA)
DEP: Right decision was made on Polk dam by Sheila Boughner
Safety director says agency was ‘shocked’ by structural conditions.
The decision to breach the Polk Center dam was the right one. That’s the word from the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Dam Safety, based on what has been discovered as the dam has been dismantled over the past few ... [read full article]

»December 7, 2007 - Dells Events (WI)
New Haven takes first step in dam project by Trevor Kupfer
The New Haven Town Board showed its investment in beginning the Big Spring Dam and Golden Court project Thursday by agreeing to pay MSA $5,000 for preliminary design and engineering. ... Montgomery presented a nine-foot by 22-foot concrete culvert, which is bottomless. Assuming other entities do all facets of the sediment work, dam removal and stream restoration, leaving the town charged with the design/installation of a culvert and replacing the road, Montgomery estimated it to cost about $118,000 ... [read full article]

»December 6, 2007 - San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center (CA)
Klamath Riverkeeper Files RCRA Lawsuit Against Warren Buffett's PacifiCorp by Dan Bachar
A lawsuit filed on December 6 by the Klamath Riverkeeper accuses PacifiCorp, Inc., a subsidiary of billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire- Hathaway corporation, with endangering human health and the environment in the Klamath River because the company's dams foster annual blooms of toxic algae. [read full article]

»November 30, 2007 - Los Angeles Times (CA)
Broader study of the Klamath River Basin urged: Panel says the river's many tributaries must also be given attention. by Eric Bailey
SACRAMENTO -- -- Wading anew into one of the West's fiercest water wars, a scientific panel from the National Research Council said this week that a more comprehensive study needs to be done on the problem-plagued Klamath River Basin. Past studies have focused only on the main river -- which has seen dams and water diversion hurt threatened salmon and suckerfish populations -- ignoring its many tributaries, the panel said in a report. [read full article]

»November 29, 2007 - Boston Globe (MA)
Member of historic panel fights partial dam removal by Christine Wallgren
PLYMOUTH - Officials in America's hometown favor partially demolishing two crumbling dams that, they say, pose safety and environmental problems. But Historic Commission member James Baker says no way. Baker argues that demolishing the dams would alter the Town Brook landscape, which dates back more than 200 years, and would remove all trace of Plymouth's industrial history. ... [read full article]

»November 29, 2007 - Wood TV 8 (Grand Rapids, MI)
Aging Dams a Growing Threat by Henry Erb
ALLEGAN COUNTY -- Three crumbling dams under state orders to be repaired, replaced or removed are in Allegan County near Plainwell and Otsego. They are half the dams currently under state repair orders ... [read full article]

»November 28, 2007 - Associated Press
Report: Klamath fish need more water by William McCall
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Conservation groups seeking removal of four aging Klamath River dams near the California border welcomed a report Wednesday by the National Research Council confirming studies indicating that salmon and other fish need more water. "This report is a major victory for salmon, commercial fishermen, Native Americans, and everyone else who cares about the health of the Klamath River," said Steve Pedery, conservation director for Oregon Wild, based in ... [read full article]

»November 26, 2007 - Progressive States (Daily Dispatch)
Benefits of a Restoration Economy
To highlight the benefits to states from developing and promoting a restoration economy, Western Progress in October sponsored a 2-day workshop in Missoula, Montana that brought together various stakeholders to discuss ways to promote restoration policies. The conference examined various practices in forestry and watersheds, as well as how to develop good, well-paying jobs through restoration projects, including visiting the Milltown Dam restoration site, one of the largest dam removal and restoration projects. In preparation for the conference, Progressive States Network produced a survey of each of the restoration practices in the eight states of the Mountain West that became the basis of the report we are releasing this week. ... [read full article]

»November 21, 2007 - Suffolk Life (VA)
Groups Clash Over Future Of Carmans River by Barbary LaMonica
The Carmans River provides habitat for an array of aquatic species, including brook trout, large-mouthed bass, eel and river herring. But the man-made dams installed a few hundred years ago are what give the river its lake characteristics that, in turn, provide warmer water temperatures for an aquatic species foreign to cold water rivers - like the invasive cabomba weed - to thrive in. Now, the questions of how to stem the tide of the ever-increasing cabomba weed, and whether the dams should be removed, have become a point of contention. Removing the dams would reconfigure the Carmans River to become a narrower, cold water river, wherein the surrounding lakes would recede to varying degrees. Advocating for the dams to remain in place, Yaphank resident Johan McConnell asked the Brookhaven Town Board earlier this month to create a ... [read full article]

»November 21, 2007 - The Cabinet (NH)
No good deed goes unpunished: Wilton couple told state about their dam, now they have to come up with $2,000 by Jessie Salisbury
WILTON - Last summer, Dave and Nikki Andrews of Curtis Farm Road decided to do the right thing - register the old dam on their property. Now they find that they can’t afford the $2,000 registration fee - a fee that is being demanded even though the state’s dam bureau says the dam is ... [read full article]

»November 20, 2007 - Earth Times
Orca Scientists Call for Lower Snake Dam Removal to Help West Coast's Endangered Orcas
SEATTLE -- Leading Northwest scientists and orca advocates are urging NOAA Fisheries to consider removal of the four lower Snake River dams in order to protect endangered Puget Sound orca populations that need Columbia-Snake River salmon as a critical food source. "Restoring Columbia River Chinook salmon is the single most important thing we can do to ensure the future survival of the ... [read full article]

Also see related articles:
»Orca Researchers Call for Dam Removal (Kitsap Sun) »Dam removal 'vital' to help threatened killer whales (Press Release: International Animal Rescue)
»Clean energy vs. whales: how to choose? (Christian Science Monitor)

»November 19, 2007 - San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center (CA)
FERC EIS Finds Klamath Dam Removal Cheaper than Relicensing by Dan Bacher
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on November 16 issued the Final Environmental Impact Statement on the relicensing of the Klamath dams, owned by billionaire Warren Buffett. The document's economic analysis shows that the removal of PacifiCorps's lower four Klamath dams would save ratepayers $7 million a year. At the same time, Karuk Tribes’ FERC negotiator Craig Tucker criticized the staff recommendations in the Final EIS for not being consistent with the mandatory terms and conditions set forth by federal agencies last year. "In the end, unless PacifiCorp negotiates a dam removal agreement with us, they’re looking at building ladders at every facility and providing more water to the river at JC Boyle dam. That’s the law." ... [read full article]

»November 17, 2007 - Sacramento Bee (CA)
Klamath dam report raises hope of removals: Tearing out barriers cheaper than fish ladders, study says. by Matt Weiser
A study released by federal regulators Friday confirms that removing four dams on the Klamath River would be far cheaper than fitting them with fish ladders, boosting hopes among Indian tribes, fishermen and environmentalists that the dams are doomed. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released the final environmental impact study as part of its process to relicense the dams near the Oregon border, owned by Portland-based PacifiCorp. The report does not recommend dam removal, but its findings may make that more ... [read full article]

»November 16, 2007 - Kennebec Journal: Morning Sentinel (ME)
FPL reveals details of dam removal: Side portions to remain, leaving possibility that structure might one day be rebuilt by Joel Elliot
WINSLOW -- FPL Energy officials on Thursday evening outlined specifics of their controversial plan to remove the Fort Halifax Dam, which they own. Eighty-seven feet from the center will be removed from the dam, and portions of it will remain, according to FPL spokesman F. Allen Wiley. The remaining portions of the dam will be free-standing, and, with the lowered water levels, should be even more sturdy than with the dam intact, Wiley said, hinting broadly that the company is keeping its options open in case it decides in the future to reconstruct the dam. "Should conditions change in the future, there is less dam to put back up," he said. The dam will be breached, according to their plan, in mid-July of 2008 and the removal will be completed within seven weeks ... [read full article]

»November 16, 2007 - The Star Ledger (NJ)
An in-depth (naturally) look at water by Allison Freeman
The most common of substances -- the water that we drink -- is the subject of a fascinating new exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The new exhibit also examines the power of water. One section educates visitors about dams and their effect on the environment. Kids can spend time in the dam removal area where, by raising and lowering a barrier, they can examine the changes made to a river by building a dam. [read full article]
»View the MoNH's online exhibit at http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/water/

»November 15, 2007 - Ventura County Reporter (CA)
Saving the dammed: Bush veto override opens funding channel for $145 million in Ventura River project funds by Hannah Guzik
Since its construction in 1947, the Matilija Dam has blocked the passage of spawning salmon up the Ventura River, interfering with the Ojai Valley ecosystem. Since his election in 2001, President Bush has blocked the passage of the Water Resources Development Act, denying funding for key restoration projects -- including the removal of the Matilija Dam -- and interfering with Washington legislators. Bush’s "Dam it" approach was working.
But the presidential paradigm fell flat Nov. 8 when legislators in Washington proved that even giant walls of concrete or ideology can be toppled with enough solidarity. Overriding a Bush veto for the first time since he took office, Congress passed a bill opening funding floodgates for the Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration Project. Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) generated the local portion of the Water Resources Development Act, H.R. 1495, which authorizes $145 million for the Matilija project. She is now trying to ... [read full article]

»November 15, 2007 - Kennebec Journal: Morning Sentinel (ME)
Planners may pull plug on Halifax Dam by Colin Hickey
WINSLOW -- The Winslow Planning Board tonight will consider FPL Energy's application to remove a portion of Fort Halifax Dam. ... Stankevitz said the Planning Board's role is to ensure that FPL Energy meets all the requirements of the town's shoreland zoning ordinance -- FPL Energy already has met ... [read full article]

»November 14, 2007 - The Oregonian (OR)
Advocates ask ratepayers to fight relicensing of 4 Klamath dams: Salmon - The group calls the dams a disaster, but PacifiCorp says they offer cheap, clean hydropower by Todd Sickinger
They've debated the impact of Klamath River dams on the environment, on Native American culture, on farming communities and coastal fisheries. Now the coalition of advocates fighting for removal of four dams are hoping to pull PacifiCorp ratepayers into their struggle and force the utility to settle on terms for dam removal. Advocates ... [read full article]

»November 11, 2007 - Kennebec Journal: Morning Sentinel (ME)
Revitalized Kennebec River winds away from polluted past by Larry Grard
There was a t