English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Free Plan

On March 13, 1996, the failure of the Meadow Pond Dam in Alton, NH unleashed 92 million gallons of water downstream, causing one death, two injuries, more than $5 million in damage to homes, damage to about a quarter mile of road, and power outages.1 More recent dam failures across the country, such as in Oroville, CA and Midland, MI, highlight the continuing challenges dam owners face in maintaining aging dams and upgrading them to meet current safety requirements. New building in floodplains and more intense rainfall in coming decades will likely make today’s safety challenges more acute. New England, with over 14,000 dams,2 has a dense cluster of older ones and, for many, failure would likely cause loss of life and significant economic damage.3 As a result, dam owners across New England are engaged in contentious policy discussions about what to do with dams that are aging, require costly upgrades, and no longer provide their intended benefits. In many cases the long-term environmental and safety benefits of removing these dams outweigh the short-term costs of removal.4 For example, Exeter, NH decided to remove its historic downtown Great Dam in 2016 in order to restore the Exeter River.5 In other cases, owners of specific dams may decide to repair and maintain a dam for other benefits, such as recreational opportunities, drinking water supply, and community identity. For example, in 2019 voters in Newmarket, NH decided to repair and keep the Macallen Dam on the Lamprey River.6 Publicly owned dams are the most obvious challenge, but the public also has significant influence over the roughly 75 percent of dams in the state that are privately owned. Private as well as municipal dams are eligible to use public funds, such as loans from the state-legislated Dam Maintenance Revolving Loan Fund, for maintenance, repair, improvement, and removal, and grants from the Aquatic Resources Mitigation Fund for preservation, restoration, and enhancement of wetlands and streams. Publicly funded state dam inspectors regulate the repair, reconstruction, maintenance, and operation of dams. And decisions about dams affect the state’s stewardship of natural resources, including water, fish, and wildlife, held in trust for public benefit.

What Do We Know About What to Do With Dams? How Knowledge Shapes Public Opinion About Their Removal in New Hampshire