Text / A Broad Level Classification System for Dam Removals

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Title: A Broad Level Classification System for Dam Removals
Creator: James MacBroom
Laura Wildman
Date Created and/or Issued: 2010
Contributing Institution: UC Riverside, Library, Water Resources Collections and Archives
Collection: Clearinghouse for Dam Removal Information (CDRI)
Rights Information: Copyrighted
Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Description: Scope/Content: Abstract: Conceptual models of dam removal processes, backed by extensive expertise, provide a solid foundation for the deconstruction of dams. In this paper we propose a broad level classification system for dam removal projects to initiate the creation of better conceptual models for future dam removal projects. Although removing dams is not a new endeavor - people have been removing dams for almost as long as they have been building them - there is little literature on the responses of different riverine systems to dam removal. The authors of this paper have been involved in over 100 dam removal projects and have found some obvious patterns and similarities in responses between specific "categories" of dam removals. Owners, practitioners and regulators need an accurate conceptual model to help predict project outcomes at the initial stages of a project. Several current papers point to the fact that a solid conceptual model is a critical element to a successful advanced numerical model. Academics and researchers need a compiled experience base such that their research results can be more appropriately applied to a variety of projects and regions. This paper focuses on our initial endeavor to categorize dam removal efforts based on past experience in order to better predict the outcomes and potential impacts of dam removal projects, as well as start to develop conceptual models for dam removal. Key issues include, when is the removal of a dam a simple effort that could be completed quickly at minimum cost, and with little to no potential for long term impact on the river system? Which projects should include more detailed analysis and take more precautions before the dam is removed? The hundreds of dams already removed have started to unveil the answers for us. Wide impoundments with fine grained sediments respond very different than steep narrow impoundments with coarse grained sediments. Some dams have no impounded sediment stored behind them at all, while others have a century or more of accumulated sediment within the impoundment. The system response to a removal can vary greatly if the downstream channel is significantly degraded or if the sill of a dam is left in place during the removal. The results and complexity of a dam removal project can vary widely depending on these factors and others. Our classification system will help expand the discussion of whether dam removal projects fall into predictable categories, that once sorted, may help to answer many of these questions up front.
Scope/Content: Author affiliation: Princeton Hydro, LLC
Scope/Content: Author affiliation: Milone & MacBroom Inc.
Type: text
Identifier: ark:/86086/n2cf9pph
965
Subject: Dams
Dam retirement

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