2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference

March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH

5/21/2018 | 2:45 PM - 3:00 PM | DAM REMOVAL FOR RIVER RESTORATION WITHING THE COMPENSATORY MITIGATION SCHEME | 320

DAM REMOVAL FOR RIVER RESTORATION WITHING THE COMPENSATORY MITIGATION SCHEME

Motivated by growing evidence of ecological benefits of dam removal, we explore strategies, tools, and examples to consider the decommissioning of old, obsolete dams as a practical alternative for ecological compensation projects. Under the compensatory mitigation (CM) rule of the U.S. Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, several types of restoration projects may be eligible to offset unavoidable impacts to aquatic resources, but dam removal is underused as a strategy for achieving river restoration targets. Because the potential for dam removal is often constrained by high costs, the CM scheme may provide an alternative funding mechanism. However, inappropriate CM guidelines, the absence of science-based knowledge, a lack of coordinated strategies to disseminate data and scientific knowledge, and the lack of a watershed approach for river restoration are among the challenges to more effectively use dam removal for river restoration within the CM scheme. The approaches discussed here may support the formulation of policies in and beyond the United States aimed at scientifically guided decisions on ecosystem restoration and watershed planning.

Remediation
Restoration
Mitigation

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Presenters/Authors

Simone Souza (), University of New Hampshire, simone.pereiradesouza@unh.edu;