On the Occasion of the Breaching of Edwards Dam and the Freeing of the Kennebec River, July 1, 1999
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7/1/1999 -- -- Today's breaching of Edwards Dam is the result of extraordinary courage on the part of all involved: the courage to honestly evaluate the scientific and economic evidence, and the courage to act on what that evidence told us.
Thanks to the debate over Edwards and the fate of other dams, any comprehensive attempt at river restoration now involves an honest balancing of the public costs and benefits of dams.
The experience of the Edwards Dam removal holds a valuable lesson for the rest of the United States, and in particular for those involved in the debate over whether or not to partially remove four dams on the Lower Snake River. The lesson is simple: when a dam's costs outweigh its benefits, removal is a feasible, practical, and sometimes necessary option, and worthy of serious, honest consideration.
For more information:
Visit American Rivers at http://www.amrivers.org/edwardsremoval.html#details [1]
Download A River Reborn: Benefits for People and Wildlife of the Kennebec River Following the Removal of Edwards Dam at http://www.tu.org/library/conservation.asp [2]
Download the Trout Unlimited and American Rivers draft report on dam removal success stories at http://www.tu.org/library/conservation.asp [2]
Date: 7/1/1999
Links:
[1] http://www.amrivers.org/edwardsremoval.html#details
[2] http://www.tu.org/../../../library/conservation.asp.html