This database contains studies examining the economic impacts of dams and the economic benefits of dam removal. It was developed as part of a literature review focused on identifying quantitative economic values across nine categories: (1) Avoided Maintenance Costs, (2) Maintenance versus Removal Cost Comparisons, (3) Alternative Water Delivery Infrastructure, (4) Flood Risk, (5) Property Values and Insurability, (6) Commercial and Recreational Fisheries, (7) Regional Economic Impacts of Dam Removal Activities, (8) River Recreation and Other Tourism, and (9) Dam Removal Funding Programs.
Where quantitative values were available, they were standardized to 2025 dollars using appropriate inflation adjustments. The review also captured qualitative studies that provide important trend contexts even when specific dollar values were not reported.
Each study reviewed was catalogued with key metadata including:
- Study title
- Abstract
- Geographic scope
- Year published
- Economic impact categories
- Economic values standardized to 2025 dollars, where applicable
- Full Chicago-style citation
- Link to study
The database was developed by Greene Economics on behalf of the Open Rivers Fund, a program of Resources Legacy Fund.
Click “View larger version” in the lower right-hand corner to view the database in a new window.
Read the full white paper here, or view a two-page summary of the results here.