Introduction to Stream Restoration - Hydro-Environmental Analysis: Freshwater Environments - page 231

FIGURE 8.17 Trash cleanup activities on the Rappahannock River. (From Friends of the Rappahannock,
FOR.)

participate and collect over 6000 lb. of trash over a 15 mi. reach, making a signiicant, positive
impact on the river (Figure 8.17).

8.4.6 d aM r eMoVaL
Dam removal is becoming a more commonly used restoration practice and is often crucial in recon-
necting river habitats, restoring passage of ish and other aquatic organisms, and restoring the
free low of water and sediment (Woodworth et al. 2010) (Figure 8.18). In 2010, the organization
American Rivers (2011) reported that 60 dams were dismantled in the United States, 30 of which
were in Pennsylvania, and that 450 dams have been removed since 1999.
Dam removal is a complex issue. Due to physical and biotic alterations, dam removal cannot
ensure the restoration of looded river reaches to their preexisting natural system in rivers and
dam removal could cause social, economic, and ecological disruptions that greatly complicate deci-
sions regarding dam removal (AFS 2004). Some of these issues and concerns are addressed in the
American Fisheries Society (AFS 2004; Bigford 2004) draft policy statement on dam removal:

FIGURE 8.18 Dam removal and river restoration. (From USDA Blog on Dam Removal, 2010.)