Regulations and funding sources for river restoration vary considerably across each of the 50 states in the U.S.
In Massachusetts, a state with over 3,000 dams, dam removal has been employed as a means to restore riverine ecological processes and eliminate public safety liabilities since around 1999.
Over the last 20 years, more than 60 dams have been removed in the state with approximately 50 of those involving the state’s Division of Ecological Restoration.
This presentation, hosted by the Society For Ecological Restoration, describes the evolution of the practice of dam removal in Massachusetts including lessons learned, ecological and community benefits realized, and the goals and challenges for expanding the practice in the future.
Photo (courtesy of Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration) shows the High Street Dam in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.