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Social Aspects of Dam Removal – an Engineer’s Perspective

Troy Naperala
GEI Consultants Inc.
Traverse City, Michigan

The landscape is significantly altered because of a dam removal project. Changes will occur to the aquatic community's ecological function, visual viewshed, recreational opportunities, and economic activity. Numerous variables will affect how the neighboring communities and specific individuals would react to a possible dam removal project.

At a community level, this may include:

• Visibility and location of the impoundment within the community

• The number of properties abutting the impoundment

• Ownership of bottomland

• Floodplain ownership and future use considerations

• Recreational use of the impoundment (fishing, ice skating, water skiing)

• Types of existing abutting uses (hiking, parkland, commercial, industrial)

• Infrastructure reliance on the impoundment (e.g. water supply intakes, wastewater discharges, irrigation, transportation)

 At an individual level, this may include:

• Beliefs about the value of wildlife and the roles of humans in managing ecosystems

• Personal financial investments in property near the impoundment

• Flood insurance requirement changes

• Emotional attachment and/or personal history with the water body

• Professional attachment (dam operator, energy provider)

The talk will cover the topic of how communities and people respond to a dam removal project using examples from finished and continuing projects to illustrate diverse points of view. These reactions are also linked to scholarly studies on environmental ethics and the economics of dam removal.

A review of the relevant literature will be compared to common economic presumptions, followed by a discussion of how economic and real estate factors have influenced policymakers and private property owners. Project-related perspectives will be framed by the literature on ecological ethics. We'll talk about the ideas of intrinsic value and anthropocentricism in the context of how they could influence people's opinions on whether to support or oppose dam removal initiatives. This will aid practitioners in comprehending the potential driving forces behind advocacy by people or organizations in favor of and against dam removal initiatives.

A set of lessons learned and best practices that should be taken into account while implementing a dam removal project communication plan will be presented using project examples and peer-reviewed literature.