Converting Science into Policy to Address Dam Impacts – Lessons from the AFS Policy on Dam Removal

Dams, like other hydrologic blockages, often have sweeping impacts to their host watershed. The hydropower industry, affected citizens, and regulatory agencies have debated for decades the ecological impacts of dams to fish and other affected parties. The American Fisheries Society approved a policy statement on "Dam Removal" in 2004. That policy and its associated background document established the basis for strategic removal of some dams for the broader beneficiaries of a range of ecosystem services extending beyond power. The policy has not yet been used to full advantage but a more concerted effort is being contemplated. The AFS experience offers one example of how to address impacts through broad policy rather than engaging in license review for individual facilities. Those experiences will be shared, along with suggestions for how to use both general policy and project-specific comments to improve our pursuit of hydropower.