There are over 550,000 dams and over 298,000 road-related barriers, such as culverts, that fragment rivers across the United States. Since these dams and barriers were constructed, storms and flooding have become more intense. At the same time, many of these structures are aging and in disrepair. They have outlived their purpose and are putting nearby communities at risk.
A new paper from Utah State University, “Barrier Removal is a Strategy for Climate Resilience,” finds that removing aging, unsafe, and obsolete dams and barriers can help communities across the country become stronger and safer in the face of extreme weather.