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Most dams in the U.S. were built prior to the enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), so their potentially negative environmental impacts have rarely been evaluated. Long touted as a source of “clean power,” dams often provide a non-polluting alternative to coal- or nuclear-powered energy. However, they do have serious environmental impacts.
Now, at the end of the century, the historical trend has been reversed. Many dams are remnants of the Industrial Age which have outlived their original purpose, and a dam-removal movement is gaining momentum across the country.
A Shift in Perception
Dams have been part of the landscape for so long that to most Americans they seem like part of the scenery. Many of us cannot imagine how the riverine habitat once looked, what species originally thrived in the free-flowing waters, and how vast an exchange of life once occurred between river and ocean. But a profound shift is taking place in how our society views dams. Now, at the end of the century, environmental protection is for the first time being weighed against the development of natural resources—and sometimes given priority.
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