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Status and trends of dam removal research in the United States
Author(s) -
Ryan Bellmore J.,
Duda Jeffrey J.,
Craig Laura S.,
Greene Samantha L.,
Torgersen Christian E.,
Collins Mathias J.,
Vittum Katherine
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
wiley interdisciplinary reviews: water
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.413
H-Index - 24
ISSN - 2049-1948
DOI - 10.1002/wat2.1164
Subject(s) - dam removal , best practice , multidisciplinary approach , environmental planning , duration (music) , water quality , environmental science , environmental resource management , water resource management , political science , ecology , art , paleontology , literature , sediment , law , biology
Aging infrastructure coupled with growing interest in river restoration has driven a dramatic increase in the practice of dam removal. With this increase, there has been a proliferation of studies that assess the physical and ecological responses of rivers to these removals. As more dams are considered for removal, scientific information from these dam‐removal studies will increasingly be called upon to inform decisions about whether, and how best, to bring down dams. This raises a critical question: what is the current state of dam‐removal science in the United States? To explore the status, trends, and characteristics of dam‐removal research in the U.S., we searched the scientific literature and extracted basic information from studies on dam removal. Our literature review illustrates that although over 1200 dams have been removed in the U.S., fewer than 10% have been scientifically evaluated, and most of these studies were short in duration (<4 years) and had limited (1–2 years) or no pre‐removal monitoring. The majority of studies focused on hydrologic and geomorphic responses to removal rather than biological and water‐quality responses, and few studies were published on linkages between physical and ecological components. Our review illustrates the need for long‐term, multidisciplinary case studies, with robust study designs, in order to anticipate the effects of dam removal and inform future decision making. WIREs Water 2017, 4:e1164. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1164 This article is categorized under: Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness Engineering Water > Sustainable Engineering of Water Water and Life > Stresses and Pressures on Ecosystems