Dam Removal

Removing unwanted or no longer utilized dams brings back the life of a river or stream. It restores the water flow, creates natural flood plains and important ground filters and allows indigenous aquatic and plant life to move freely.

The benefits can be a reduction or elimination of a safety hazard, while restoring the natural movement of the river helping to restore down river water quality for a multitude of end users while improving the overall health of the watershed.

Removing dams requires input and cooperation from many jurisdictions including: sports and recreation concerns, conservation groups, agriculture/business enterprises and multiple governmental agencies.

Carolina Land & Lakes is uniquely qualified to bring together various concerns, interest groups and stake-holders for the greater benefit of the local community.

Our recent success with the Shuford Dam removal is an illustration of our capacity to bring a number of interested parties to the table to accomplish a shared goal.

Carolina Land & Lakes partnered with American Rivers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to remove the Shuford Dam in Catawba County on the Henry Fork River. The dam was listed on the EPA's most hazardous list for public safety, making it a priority for the safety of our community. The project started in 2012 and was officially finished in November 2016. While working on the project Carolina Land & Lakes and partners were conscious of other infrastructure downstream of the dam and the impact of sediment. The Shuford dam removal was funded by a grant from the North Carolina Division of Water Resources and the US Fish and Wildlife Services Fish Passage Program.

To find more information about dam removal please visit American Rivers Website.