Navigating Dam Removal Challenges: How Practitioners Address Common Concerns

EXTENDED ABSTRACT ONLY - Removing dams is now a common practice and a good option for dam owners who determine the cost and impacts of their dams outweigh the benefits. Many dams are old, obsolete, and are becoming unsafe. Along with economic, environmental, and recreational benefits, dam removals can be permanent solutions to dam safety problems. More than 2,000 dams have been removed in the U.S. and dam removal practitioners regularly manage and hear a common set of concerns from regulators, agencies, and surrounding communities. Each of these concerns has been successfully managed, but it requires diligent project planning and collaboration between the dam owner and project designers throughout the project process. Over the course of the presentation, the speakers will outline the key stages of the dam removal process, including planning, outreach, design, funding, implementation, and monitoring, noting the common concerns and examples of successful mitigation measures at each step.