R
ivers are the lifeblood of our environ-
KEN TAYLOR / NCWRC
Thousands of dams across North Carolina
Removing Dams + Restoring Rivers
are no longer used for milling or energy
production, and could be candidates for
removal. This is an old photo of Milburnie
Dam on the Neuse River in Wake County,
which has been the source of much debate
A number of public and nonprofit partners are working to tear down over its potential removal. Advocates
decommissioned dams and build back river habitat. want to restore the river to its original
flow, and opponents want to keep the
historic structure.
written by lynnette batt
26 february 2011 winc
ment and our communities, and the
healthiest rivers are those that flow
freely. Yet the streams and rivers of the South-
east have been impacted by dams for hundreds
of years. European settlers brought agricul-
ture and development to the region in the 16th
century, and it was not long before the need
to process crops sent people to streams and
rivers in search of power. As a result, tens
of thousands of dams were built to support
gristmills, cotton mills and textile mills from
coast to Mountains.
Today, between 15,000 and 20,000 dams
block the streams and rivers in North Carolina,
according an estimate by the nonprofit
organization American Rivers. This adds up
to approximately 150 to 200 dams in each
county. Most of these dams no longer serve
a purpose —not power, not flood control, not
water supply and often not even recreation.
Beneficial Destruction
Mention the word dam, and many North
Carolinians picture a big reservoir such as
Lake Gaston or Jordan Lake. But these make
up just a tiny fraction of the dams that exist.
In fact, of those regulated by the state, just
3 percent are used as flood control, 1 percent
as hydropower and 8 percent as water supply.
Many of the rest are small, abandoned dams
that serve only to block fish, impede recre-
ation and threaten safety.
As North Carolina’s economy evolved over
the last half century, mills were shut down
and their dams abandoned. These forgotten
dams continue to block our rivers and cause
a myriad of impacts to both people and
nature. At the same time, our growing popu-
lation has continued to build dams for water
supply, recreation and power.
Removing outdated dams has become
a popular and extremely successful tool
for restoring streams and rivers around the
country. Nonprofit groups such as American
Rivers, along with governmental and non-
governmental partners, have worked to
remove more than 830 dams in the United
States, reconnecting thousands of miles
of rivers. The benefits of dam removal are
many, including improved safety, healthier
rivers, more abundant fish and wildlife,
and enhanced recreation.
february 2011 winc 27

NCWRC
RESTORATION SYSTEMS LLC
Narrows Dam on the Yadkin River gener-
ates hydropower and impounds Badin Lake.
It is an example of a major dam that would
not be a candidate for removal. Carbonton
Dam was removed in 2006, allowing the
Deep River to flow freely for the first time in
a century. Opposite page, top three photos:
Steeles Mill Dam during removal and Hitch-
cock Creek after removal. Bottom photos:
Dillsboro Dam during removal.
28 february 2011 winc
Public safety is a critical concern. Of the
tens of thousands of dams in North Carolina,
only a small fraction — about 4,700 — are
regulated. And because most dams are very
old, often exceeding 100 years, dam failures
are relatively common. More than 1,000
dams in our state are “high hazard,” mean-
ing that if they fail, they could result in injury,
loss of property and loss of life due to flood-
ing. Of these, 127 are “deficient,” meaning
they are structurally unsound. Being both
“high hazard” and “deficient” is a danger-
ous combination, so if the dam is no longer
being used, full removal is the best option.
Dam removal also has huge ecological
benefits, making it an excellent way to restore
rivers. Fish, mussels, crayfish, amphibians,
insects and other aquatic species depend on
healthy, free-flowing rivers to live and repro -
duce. Dams serve as barriers to the move -
ment of these species and replace flowing
river habitat with stagnant water in which
many animals cannot live. This is a parti-
cularly significant problem in the Southeast,
given that this region holds 62 percent of the
fish species, 91 percent of the mussel species,
and 95 percent of the crayfish species in the
entire United States.
According to the N.C. Wildlife Action Plan,
“habitat alteration from nonpoint-source
pollution and flow alteration (i.e., impound-
ments) is the primary cause of population
declines for 72 percent of Southeastern fishes
considered imperiled.” Removing dams and
other barriers reconnects fish and other
aquatic communities, restores their habitat
and improves water quality. It can also help
restore natural flows to floodplains, which
supports birds and other wildlife.
As Chris Goudreau, special projects coor-
dinator with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Com-
mission (WRC) puts it, “In the past decade
the WRC has put considerable effort into
studying and restoring native aquatic species,
many of which are listed as threatened or
endangered. In some cases dams are con-
tributing to low fish and mussel populations
by fragmenting their habitats, altering water
quality and physical habitat and creating
conditions more suitable for non-native
species. Dam removal can be an important
tool in our efforts to restore native species.”
Restored rivers have many benefits for
people, too. Clean, free-flowing rivers provide
high-quality recreation opportunities such
as canoeing, fishing, swimming, and even
hiking and camping on the banks. This in
turn supports the local economy by bring-
ing in tourism and recreation dollars and
affords an opportunity to reconnect people
to nature. Economic studies have found that
property values are higher along free-flowing
streams and rivers than they are next to
impounded water. Communities downstream
of dams that use the river as a drinking water
source also benefit from more reliable flows
and have less risk of flooding if the dam
were to fail.
Measures of Progress
In North Carolina, more than a dozen dams
have been removed, reconnecting hundreds
of miles of rivers. A diverse group including
WRC, American Rivers, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS), the N.C. Depart-
ment of Environment and Natural Resources,
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (Corps), the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency, Resource Conser-
vation and Development Districts (RC&Ds),
other nonprofit groups and private companies
have worked together to make these projects
a success. This group, led by American
Rivers, has recently re-established the N.C.
Dam Removal Task Force to guide project
priorities and state policy.
In the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, dam
removals that restore habitat for anadromous
fish (that is, those that migrate from the ocean
to rivers to spawn) remain top priorities. The
yearly spawning migrations of shad, river
herring, sturgeon and striped bass once sup-
ported commercial and subsistence fisheries
for communities on the coast and in Piedmont
rivers. But with the construction of dams
blocking upstream migrations and impound-
ing river habitat, some of these fisheries have
disappeared. In fact, migratory fish have
been reduced to an estimated 5 percent of
their historic population levels due to dams,
habitat loss and overfishing.
There has been progress in restoring habitat
for migratory fish. A suite of dam removals
in the Neuse River basin — including Quaker
Neck Dam on the mainstem Neuse and
Cherry Hospital, Rains Mill and Lowell Mill
dams on the Little River — have opened more
than 200 miles of river from the coast to the
Piedmont. Partners including the USFWS,
the Corps, Progress Energy and Restoration
Systems LLC made these projects possible.
With these removals, upstream migration for
fish on the Neuse River now ends at Milburnie
Dam, 218 miles from the Pamlico Sound. A
plan to remove the Milburnie Dam, currently Restored rivers have many benefits for people, too. Clean, free-flowing
under review by the Corps, would open an rivers provide high-quality recreation opportunities such as canoeing,
additional 15 river miles for migratory fish
spawning. This would make the Neuse the fishing, swimming, and even hiking and camping on the banks.
only river in the state with its historic range This in turn supports the local economy.
for fish migration fully restored. PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF AMERICAN RIVERS
Mike Wicker, a fisheries biologist and
coastal program coordinator for the USFWS,
notes that his agency strongly supports the
removal of the Milburnie Dam and other
efforts to restore migratory fish runs. “Migra-
tory fish are an important part of the coastal
and ocean food chain,” Wicker says. “Ameri-
can shad and river herring fry feed a num-
ber of sport fish found in the river system
and along the coast, including striped bass,
flounder, redfish, speckled trout, tarpon,
mackerel and tuna. Fishermen should see
february 2011 winc 29
 Dam removal benefits the small river crea-
tures that indicate water quality and make
up the bottom of the food chain such as the
Kanawha minnow, the American eel (this one
captured on Hitchcock Creek after removal
of Steeles Mill Dam) and the Tar River spiny
mussel. Opposite page: Rains Mill Dam on the
Little River before it was removed in 1999.
KEN TAYLOR / NCWRC
an increase in all of these fish as a result Help for Threatened Wildlife
of restoring shad and herring runs.”
Another project, the removal of the Steeles Threatened and endangered species are
Mill Dam last year, opened up nearly 15 miles also high priorities from the coast to the
of river for migratory fish in Hitchcock Creek Mountains, and dam removals have shown
in southern North Carolina. Led by the City some great success in helping them. For
of Rockingham, and supported by NOAA, example, the Carbonton Dam removal on
American Rivers, the the Deep River in the Piedmont benefited
N.C. Division of Water the federally endangered Cape Fear shiner,
Resources and Pilot View a small fish that lives nowhere else in the
RC&D, the removal of world. Tim Savidge of the Catena Group, an
the 110-year-old, 15-foot environmental consulting company that per-
-high dam took less than forms biological surveys, says, “The Cape
a week. With the dam Fear Shiner was fairly quick to recolonize
out of the way, the com- the restored river reach, as it was found at
munity is now gearing eight different locations throughout the
up for the establish - former impoundment in just the second
ment of a 12-mile-long year following removal.”
“blue trail” for canoeing, Martin Doyle, a professor of river science
kayaking and fishing with UNC-Chapel Hill, also notes that the
along the creek. Matt Carbonton Dam removal is the only stream
Rice, associate director restoration project he’s seen outside salmon
of conservation with areas in the Pacific Northwest where an
American Rivers, is endangered fish species was found. When
enthusiastic about this asked what he thinks of removing dams to
innovative approach. restore streams and rivers, Doyle replied,
“Tying together recre - “Dam removal is the only thing that works
ation and restoration aside from extremely long, large traditional
projects is a great way restoration projects, and those are too expen-
to reconnect people sive to be likely.”
with healthy rivers, Mussels are another key focus with
with nature,” Rice says. regard to threatened and endangered species.
To assist the rest- Nearly 60 percent of mussel species in North
oration of migratory Carolina are imperiled, and according to the
species, funding is now N.C. Wildlife Action Plan, “nonpoint-
available for stream source pollution and the effects of dams and
In the Mountains, dam removals such as
Spruce Pine Dam on the North Toe River
(removed by USFWS and Blue Ridge RC&D)
and Dillsboro Dam on the Tuckasegee River
(removed by Duke Energy with help from
the USFWS, WRC and others) have restored
critical habitat for the Appalachian elktoe
mussel, a federally endangered species. “Dam removal is the only thing that works aside from extremely
USFWS biologist Mark Cantrell is excited
about the project. “The benefits of removing
long, large traditional restoration projects, and those are too
Dillsboro Dam will extend a great distance expensive to be likely.”
upstream and downstream of the site,
improving conditions for rare fish and mus - –martin doyle, unc professor of river science
sels, as well as fish popular with anglers,”
Cantrell says. “We want to take a fresh look
at how dams affect rivers in North Carolina
—many may have outlived their intended
purpose, yet still fragment river habitats and
impair the recovery of endangered fish and
other species. The Fish and Wildlife Service
has been and will continue to be a partner
in this work.”
In addition to mussels, trout are a restor-
ation target in the Mountains. Like migra-
tory fish, native brook trout populations
have been reduced to an estimated 5 percent
of their historic levels throughout the eastern
United States. Both dams and poorly designed
culverts block trout movement, inundate
stream habitat and cause waters to warm
unnaturally — a major impact to this cold-
water fish.
Looking to the future, the N.C. Dam
Removal Task Force and other restoration
proponents envision the removal of dozens
of outdated dams each year in North Carolina, KEN TAYLOR / NCWRC

barrier projects (dam impoundments are the leading historic and as is being done in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin
removals and culvert current threats to freshwater mollusks.” and other states. Nearly 15 projects are cur-
THE CATENA GROUP
replacements) that Mussel larvae attach to the gills of small rently under consideration. Given the sheer Major dam removals in North Carolina, 1988–2010
benefit these species host fish, using this as a way to colonize number of dams, their known impacts and
through a joint partner - new stretches of river. Dams block these the importance of healthy rivers to support dam name stream river basin date removed
ship between American host fish and trap sediments that prevent our state’s incredible biodiversity and grow-
altapass dam roses creek french broad 2010
Rivers and NOAA. This mussels from attaching to the river bed. ing population, we cannot afford a slower
buckhorn dam buckhorn creek cape fear 2010
Community-Based River Savidge notes that “the removal of the pace. North Carolina citizens can help by
Carbonton Dam has resulted in recoloni- dillsboro dam tuckasegee river little tennessee 2010
Restoration Program has encouraging these projects in their com-
zation of the former impoundment by a steeles mill dam hitchcock creek yadkin–pee dee 2009
provided some $3.8 mil- munities to restore healthy, free-flowing
lion to support more than number of rare freshwater mussel species rivers for us, for nature and for future spruce pine dam north toe river french broad 2009
120 community-driven such as the yellow lampmussel, Savannah generations to enjoy. carbonton dam deep river cape fear 2006
river restoration projects lilliput and notched rainbow.” He reports lowell mill dam little river neuse 2005
throughout the country. another major success for a federally endan- Lynnette Batt is the associate director for river freedom park dam little sugar creek catawba 2002
The program benefits gered species, the Tar River spiny mussel, restoration in North Carolina with American unnamed dam marks creek neuse 2002
fish species that migrate which was found in August 2010 in the Rivers. Contact her at lbatt@americanrivers.org rains mill dam little river neuse 1999
between freshwater and former impoundment of the Lowell Dam on or (919) 682-3197. Learn more about American quaker neck dam neuse river neuse 1998
saltwater, such as Ameri - the Little River. That makes it the second Rivers, including its Community-Based River cherry hospital dam little river neuse 1998
can shad, river herring endangered species found in any stream Restoration Program, at www.american ash bear pen dam cold prong river watauga 1990
and American eels. restoration site in North Carolina. rivers.org /our-work/ restoring-rivers/dams. forney ridge dam forney creek little tennessee 1988
KEN TAYLOR / NCWRC

february 2011 winc 31