RSSDam News: 23 – 31 August, 2012
“Dam news” is a round-up of news and events related to dams and dam removal, brought to you by the Clearinghouse for Dam Removal Information (CDRI), a project administered by the Water Resources Collections and Archives. Visit CDRI for more on dams and dam removal.
Old Dam on Densons Creek Coming Down
Montgomery Herald – Aug 31, 2012
Nature lovers who’ve avoided the top end of Densons Creek Nature Trail, or put off fishing in the lake at the Maness Nature Preserve because of construction and road closure on Okeeweemee Road, take heart. Okeeweemee Road is now open, with N.C. DOT completing bridge replacement work near the nature preserve. Commuters who’ve had to make the lengthy detour for the last several months won’t complain either.
Thanks to Dam Removal, Wild Atlantic Salmon of the U.S. Stand a Chance
RedOrbit – Aug 30, 2012
Wild Atlantic salmon returns to North America are disappointingly low this year, especially in the rivers of Maine. The Penobscot River, which is undergoing a major restoration program, had only 609 salmon return from their ocean migration by the end of August – the lowest number since the year 2000. This amounts to only 20% of the more than 3,100 salmon that returned in 2011.
Budd Lake Dam Repairs Planned Despite Complaints
New Jersey Hills – Aug 30, 2012
MOUNT OLIVE TWP. – Talks that began five years ago between environmental groups and a property owner about removing a dilapidated 85-year-old dam broke down with the decision by owners to rehabilitate and not remove the dam.
County Sets Hearing to Discuss River Cleanup Settlement
Allegan County News – Aug 30, 2012
Allegan County commissioners hope a public hearing next month will help them decide whether or not to support a settlement that would jump-start cleanup of the Kalamazoo River. Georgia-Pacific LLC first approached the county in April with its plan to spend $150 million to remove PCB-contaminated sediment, reinforce riverbanks and remove the Otsego City Dam and the Otsego Dam; any remaining funds (estimated at $60 million) could be added to a trust fund and set aside for cleanup further downstream.
Doc Hastings Launches a New Effort to Save Dams From Salmon
Crosscut – Aug 29, 2012
“Save Our Dams” read irrigation farmers’ signs outside a Pasco hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee on Aug. 15. The committee chair, central Washington Congressman Doc Hastings, held the hearing on a bill — christened the Saving Our Dams and New Hydropower Development and Jobs Act — that would make it a whole lot harder to recover salmon populations in the Columbia River system and potentially a lot of other places. No one expects the bill to pass; Hastings’ own press release described it as “a starting point” for discussion.
Your comments: Will removing Raritan River dams improve or ruin the fishing?
NJ.com – Aug 29, 2012
The state Department of Environmental Protection’s plan to remove three dams along a 10-mile stretch of the Raritan to return it to a free-flowing, natural river is supposed to improve its ecology and benefit migrating fish that will spawn upstream.
Fisherman Decries Removal of Second Raritan River Dam in Bridgewater
NJ.com – Aug 28, 2012
BRIDGEWATER — A fisherman standing on the bank of the Raritan River just upstream of the recently demolished Robert Street dam pointed across the river to a large white bird, a snowy egret, landing on the Hillsborough bank.
Forgotten Martha Creek Dam Removed
The Columbian – Aug 28, 2012
Before the U.S. Forest Service began planning the removal of Martha Creek Dam, officials first had to clear up one key detail about the structure: Its location.
Razing Dams From the River That Raised Me
Huffington Post – Aug 27, 2012
Looking back, I can see that I was spoiled growing up, though my family wasn’t rich by American standards. I had a cold, clean river bubbling past my house that contained fish bigger than me. Even when I traveled to Haiti at 13 years old, I didn’t comprehend how lucky I was.
State Provides Funding for Dam Removals
Patch.com – Aug 27, 2012
The Massachusetts Environmental Trust will be providing Andover with the $50,000 needed to finish the permitting and engineering costs for removal of the Balmoral and Marland Place dams.
Raritan River Already Benefiting From Bridgewater Dam Removal
NJ.com – Aug 27, 2012
BRIDGEWATER — Gravel bars and free-flowing water are signs that the river has begun to return to a more natural state following the removal of the second of three Somerset County dams along the Raritan River.
Boardman River Dam Removal Starts
The Detroit News – Aug 24, 2012
After nearly a decade of studies, reviews and planning, work has begun on the removal of the first of three hydroelectric dams on the Boardman River. The ultimate goal of the removals is to restore 18 miles of the Kalkaska County river to its original bed, re-establish fish breeding grounds and reconnect 160 miles of rivers and tributaries.
Easton Dam Removal Plans Weigh Fish Routes, Canal Filling
The Express Times – LehighValleyLive.com – Aug 23, 2012
Obstacles to removing the Easton Dam at the confluence of the Lehigh and Delaware rivers and the Chain Dam near Hugh Moore Park are many and varied.
Georgia-Pacific Pitches $80-$90 Million Plan to Remove Otsego-Area Dams as Part of Kalamazoo River Cleanup
Kalamazoo Gazette – MLive.com – Aug 23, 2012
ALLEGAN, MI — Georgia-Pacific is offering to spend $80 million to $90 million to remove two Otsego-area dams on the Kalamazoo River, but critics say it’s a cheap way for the company to duck responsibility for paying for a more expensive and extensive river cleanup.
