Communities in 18 states, working in partnership with non-profit organizations and state and federal agencies, removed 51 dams in 2013. Outdated or unsafe dams came out of rivers in Alabama, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, restoring more than 500 miles of streams for the benefit of fish, wildlife, and people.
American Rivers will add the information on these 51 dam removals to its database of nearly 1,150 dams that have been removed across the country since 1912. Most of those dams (nearly 850) were removed in the past 20 years. Dam removal can have many benefits for communities including restoring river health and clean water, revitalizing fish and wildlife, improving public safety and recreation, and enhancing local economies.
See the full list over at American Rivers.
LINK (via: National Geographic)