Oceans and Dam Removal

Photo: NOAA’s National Ocean Service/Flickr

With the Klamath River Dams coming down, there’s been a big focus on the short-term environmental impacts of dam removal. Certainly there are some aspects of removing the dams that hurt the environment in the short term, but do the benefits outweigh what happens when we send tons of sediment rushing downstream?

In the case of dammed rivers that drain directly into the ocean, research now shows that, despite initial setbacks, there is a significant boost to an ecosystem after dams are removed.

You can read about this research in a story from Natalia Mesa, over in High Country News, here.