Written by Andrew Gunnoe and Élan Young
Army Corps of Engineers studies Little River for potential dam removal
TOWNSEND — In February the Army Corps of Engineers announced a study to evaluate potential effects of proposed removal or modification of three dams on the Little River. These dams include the Townsend Dam, Peery’s Mill, and Rockford. The announcement sparked a public furor in Blount County over potential impact that dam removal might have on the Little River and adjoining communities.
The results of the Army Corps’ study are not expected until June or July. Despite not knowing the study’s findings — which may include recommendations of full or partial removal of individual dams, or no action at all — the Blount County Commission unanimously passed a resolution in April calling for the preservation of all three dams. The resolution was sponsored by 14 of the 21 commissioners (it takes 11 votes to pass a resolution).
Once seen as radical, dam removal is now a well-established practice across the United States. The dams targeted for removal are typically obsolete and no longer serve the purpose for which they were originally constructed. In 2022 alone, 65 dams were removed across the country, reconnecting over 430 upstream river miles across 20 states. While some of these dams are large, the vast majority are classified as low-head dams, similar in size to the three dams along the Little River.
Read the full story at Hellbender Press.
Élan Young 