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New Attitudes Toward Sediment
Management
Alex Hackman
Restoration Specialist
Division of Ecological Restoration
Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game
Environmental Business Council of New England
Energy Environment Economy
Sediment Management and Dam Removals – New Attitudes
Alex Hackman, Restoration Specialist Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game Division of Ecological Restoration [email protected] March 4, 2014
Mission: To restore and protect the health and integrity of the Commonwealth's rivers, wetlands, and watersheds for the benefit of people, fish, and wildlife
Physical restoration projects and... • Stream flow monitoring and restoration
• Technical assistance
• Adopt-a-Stream
• Outreach / Education
• Trainings
• Policy
Outline
1. Context – National and local
trends in dam removal
2. New attitudes about sediment
3. Tips for smart sediment management
4. Examples
5. Discussion
Dam and drained impoundment, Pittsfield (low flow 4/2012)
www.nps.gov
www.nytimes.com
Great Works Dam in Maine - Penobscot River Elwha Dam in Washington – Elwha River
West East
www.nps.gov
Big dam removals
are now happening in
the United States
National Context
Glines Canyon Dam, Elwha River, Washington Condit Dam Link (WA)
1 year post dam removal
Elwha River 34 million CY released downstream
Credit: http://e360.yale.edu
http://www.cas.umt.edu/geosciences
Condit Dam Removal Sediment Management National Context
More than 3,000 dams in MA • 43 are flood control dams • 44 licensed hydropower dams • 164 water supply dams • Federal, state, NGO, municipal owners
Most mills are gone, but many dams remain
The ‘Perfect Storm’ for Dam Removal in MA
Bartlett Rod Shop Co. Dam Amethyst Brook, Pelham • Aging structures
o Increasing risks (climate change)
• Failures, threats, and evacuations
• Owner liability – legal and financial
o MA Office of Dam Safety
North River (Colrain) after Tropical Storm Irene
Local Context
The Perfect Storm Cont.
• Easing regulatory climate (and more to come)
• Funding sources for removal
• Increasing interest and involvement in the dam removal movement
• In recent years – many successful projects
Jones River Watershed Association – Wapping Road Dam Removal Celebration
Dam Removal – Framing Solutions to Problems
• Decommission aging infrastructure
• Eliminate risk and liability
• Enhance flood storage capacity
• Improve ecological conditions
Tip
Beyond just FISH PASSAGE
Process-based Restoration1
1. Focus on drivers of ecosystem structure and function (ecological processes)
• E.g. Movement of water, sediment, organic matter, nutrients, and organisms across the landscape
2. Identify stressors, take actions to relieve stress
3. Mother Nature and Father Time
1 See T. Beechie et al (2010). Process-based Principles for Restoring River Ecosystems. BioScience (60) 3: 209- 222.
Dams alter critical river processes – Sediment regime at Amethyst Brook
