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Levesque, Vanessa R.

Natural Resource Planning Program

2004

M.S.

The rivers of the United States contain thousands of small dams. Many of these dams are old and are no longer used for their original purpose, prompting environmentalists to suggest they be removed in order to restore the ecological functions of rivers. In deciding whether to remove a dam, natural resource decision makers must weigh uncertain ecological impacts of removal with multiple perspectives about the values of dams and dam removal. Despite this dilemma, little research has been devoted to examining how values and science are actually perceived and used in dam removal debates. Using case studies of three towns in Vermont debating removal of their dams, the values, science and decision process that evolved in each setting were investigated. Although four sets of values (environmental, political, cultural and economic) characterized the dam removal debates, site specific social processes affected which values dominated each debate. There was also disagreement over what knowledge was relevant to each dam removal debate; this discord stemmed from aspects of the decision process such as how the debate was framed, incomplete understanding of other participants' information, different perceptions on the role of science in decision making, and how data were communicated.
Natural resource professionals in Vermont have struggled with developing effective dam removal decision processes, due to the complexity of incorporating both science and values, and to the implications of the local outsider dichotomy inherent to dam removal debates. Some researchers have suggested that dam removal be considered using a watershed approach to ecosystem management. The watershed approach is often praised for incorporating both scientific and social goals and for using a participatory decisionmaking process, with a unique focus on the watershed as the ecosystem of analysis. There has yet to be any published studies, however, examining the feasibility of applying the watershed approach to dam removal decisions.
This thesis explored how the watershed approach could assist in dam removal analysis and debate, based on an examination of current watershed initiatives in Vermont. Because Vermont's basin planning process had limited public participation, it could experience resistance from local residents who are wary of outsiders, and may not the best venue for deciding the fate of a dam. The strength of watershed councils, however, rests in their ability to collect a range of ecological and social data across a large watershed in order to examine issues such as dam removal in a holistic, integrative manner. Basin planning could help promote consideration of dam removal through a holistic, watershed perspective, and may facilitate opportunities for engaging in two-way education with local communities about dams.