OSU study: Rivers recover fast after dam removal

A study of the removal of two dams in Oregon suggests that rivers can return surprisingly fast to a condition close to their natural state, both physically and biologically, and that the biological recovery might outpace the physical recovery.

LINK (via:KTVZ)

A River Runs Through It ... Again

Proof positive that dam removal has gone mainstream.

LINK (via: The Weather Channel)

The Last Dam on Whychus Creek Slated for Removal

Photo: Ian Shane

Another one bites the dust.

The removal of the last remaining concrete dam on Whychus Creek near Sisters, Oregon is slated to get underway following a ceremony on Monday.

LINK (via: Jefferson Public Radio)

Oil Pollution from Dams

You can add oil pollution to the list of reasons why the lower for Snake River dams need to be removed.

For the first time in its history, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will have to disclose the amount of pollutants its dams are sending into waterways in a groundbreaking legal settlement that could have broad implications for the Corps' hundreds of dams nationwide.

The Corps announced in a settlement Monday that it will immediately notify the conservation group that filed the lawsuit of any oil spills among its eight dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers in Oregon and Washington.

The Corps also will apply to the Environmental Protection Agency for pollution permits, something the Corps has never done for the dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers.

LINK (via: US News)

Protecting threatened steelhead? Or green lawns?

A battle is heating up between Stanford University and environmentalists over the increasingly controversial Searsville Dam.

LINK (via: Ecowatch)

Return of the River, official trailer

"Return of the River" is a feature documentary that tells the story of the largest dam removal and river restoration project in history, currently unfolding on the Elwha River in Washington State. The film explores an extraordinary community effort to set the river free, and shows an unlikely victory for environmental justice. Told by an ensemble cast of characters, "Return of the River" offers hope amid grim environmental news.