Neighboring residents delighted as centuries-old dam is finally dismantled: '[The] community [is] happy to see the dam go'

As the effects of the overheating planet continue to alter ecosystems and communities around the United States, towns and cities are constantly evolving their infrastructure in response. One such change just took place in the small town of Colebrook, New Hampshire, where the Washburn Mill Dam was recently shuttered, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Established in 1929, the Washburn Dam was just five years away from its centennial anniversary, but aging dams are not exactly worth celebrating, and they are proliferating in large numbers throughout the United States.

Per the National Inventory of Dams, 73% of American dams are at least 50 years old this year, and at least 4,000 of them are in poor condition. Thankfully, they are being eliminated more frequently of late. Recently, the Pomeroy Dam in Southern Oregon was finally removed from the Illinois River after 126 years. A dam is also in the process of being removed in Massachusetts.

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Regarding Washburn specifically, in recent decades, Colebrook has seen an increase in heavy rain events, leading to flash flooding. The dam and its "crumbling infrastructure" barred fish from moving upstream to more suitable habitats, hindered wildlife movement, and flooded roads, which in turn limited access to medical care.

However, since the dam was officially removed in October 2024, local officials have been optimistic about the region's ecological revitalization.

As Jaime Masterson, a fish biologist with the New England Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, told the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: "With climate change, this area of the East Coast will be one of the last strongholds for brook trout because it can maintain livable conditions for them, even with temperature increases."

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Many other species of area fish are expected to benefit as well, from wood turtles to rainbow trout.

Citizens are already experiencing positives from the dam's shuttering as well. Local landowners often dealt with flooding and erosion during heavy rain events, but since the removal, engineers have straightened out the Mohawk River's stream so as to decrease erosive effects.

It's too soon to have lasting data on the impact of the Washburn Dam's removal, but one thing is for sure right now. As Jalyn Williams writes for U.S. Fish and Wildlife, "The … community [is] happy to see the dam go."