Novel Monitoring of a Dam Removal Site in Southeastern Virginia
Leah Purdy
RES
Richmond, Virginia
This case study details the novel post restoration monitoring plan, site development, and lessons learned after the removal of two farm pond dams in Suffolk, Virginia, as part of a Permitee Responsible Mitigation (PRM) project supporting stream and wetland restoration completed in December 2024.
Post restoration monitoring used a combination of aerial imagery, BANCS mapping, habitat and vegetation assessments, and stream gauges to measure site performance. The monitoring plan anticipates site evolution and allows for adaptive management strategies to ensure long term sustainability and restoration success. The plan tracked the unassisted early vegetation succession in the dewatered pond bottoms, which revegetated before the floodplain was dry enough to allow for active planting, and provided insight into the emergence of native and invasive species in the seed bank of the pond sediments. Concerns about sediment mobilization were integrated into the monitoring plan to ensure the preservation of a cypress swamp downstream of the dam removal site.
Lessons learned from Year 1 and Year 2 monitoring can be incorporated into future monitoring and management plans.
About Leah Purdy