There are more than 31,000 dams in the northeastern United States. More than 4,000 of them are in the Hudson River watershed. Most of these dams are quite small and were built in the 19th century to form ponds and to power grist, textile, paper, saw, and other kinds of mills as the region developed its industrial infrastructure. The nonprofit organization American Rivers estimates that 85% of U.S. dams are unnecessary at best and pose risks to public safety at worst.
Dam removals have been occurring for over 100 years, but the vast majority have taken place since the mid-2010s and have increased dramatically since the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided funding for such projects.
So far, 806 Northeastern dams have come down and hundreds more are in the pipeline.
Dam removals improve aquatic fish passage, water quality, watershed resilience, and habitat for all the organisms in river ecosystem food chains, ranging from insects to fish to otters to eagles. Small dams have degraded habitat and altered downstream hydrology and sediment flows. They have created warm, stagnant, low-oxygen pools that trigger algal blooms and favor invasive species.
But removing even small dams is not an easy matter. Projects range in cost from $100,000 to $3 million and qualifying for funding – whether federal or state – requires projects to meet a variety of requirements including community support. Not all dams can be removed, but many more should.
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How Tearing Down Small Dams Is Helping Restore Northeast Rivers
Photo, posted September 20, 2010, courtesy of Doug Kerr via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio
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