The removal of a dam in upstate New York is resulting in a surprising ecological rebound.
A landowner in the Hudson River Estuary had a dam that built up a water reservoir. Over time, it fell out of the building code, and the cost of repairing it exceeded the cost of removing it. A Cornell study looked at the water conditions before and after the dam's removal, including sites above and below the dam location, according to a summary posted on Phys.org.
The research paper noted the reservoir had been withholding nutrients from ecosystems downstream while also preventing animal migration upstream. The increased temperature of the reservoir also reduced the amount of oxygen being dissolved in the water.
Following the dam removal, researchers saw the ecosystems equilibrate. After three years of monitoring, the two areas became nearly indistinguishable.
"If you just look at the stream after removal, you wouldn't even have known there was a dam there," said lead author Jeremy Dietrich.
Dam removal has become a priority in areas where they're blocking wildlife from migrating, particularly when it comes to salmon. These kinds of dam removal projects are spreading across Europe, too. The efforts can be at odds with renewable energy generation, but some hydroelectric dam operators have been able to accommodate migratory fish while keeping dams operational.
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Natural dams also have their place. Beaver reintroductions across the United Kingdom have shown how dam construction can improve water quality, retain water for dry periods, and stem otherwise destructive flows during downpours.
Cornell researchers hope that this ecosystem's rebound can provide a blueprint for other habitat rehabilitations.
"The research demonstrates the resilience of nature to recover from imperiled states," said Dietrich. "We can show that the potential is there to reproduce these results at other sites."
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