About 
dam 
time! The 
emergence 
of
 dam 
removal
 in
 river management
 policy : lessons from the Elwha River restoration project

Abstract: Dams
 are
 pervasive
 features
 of
 the
 river
 systems
 in
 the
 United
 States.
 More
 than
 80,000
 large
 dams,
 and
 as
 many
 as
 2.5
 million
 small
 dams,
 are
 spread
 throughout
 every
 major
 watershed
 in
 the
 country.
 While
 this
 vast
 number
 of
 dams
 has
 made
 a
 considerable
 contribution
 to
 development,
 recognition
 of
 the
 environmental
 impacts
 has
 significantly
 increased.
 Furthermore,
 over
 25%
 of
 the
 nation's
 dams
 are
 now
 reaching
 the
 end
 of
 their
 operational
 lives,
 facing
 physical
 deterioration,
 risk
 of
 failure,
 loss
 of
 economic
 viability,
 and
 expired
 federal
 contracts.
 The

convergence
 of
 these
 environmental,
 economic,
 social,
 and
 regulatory
 concerns
 is
 reflected
 in
 the
 sudden,
 remarkable 
emergence 
of 
Dam
 Removal
in 
river 
management.



Dam
 removal
 represents
 a
 fundamental
 transformation
 in
 river
 management
 discourse,
 yet
 has
 been
 rarely
 studied.
 Through
 exploration
 and
 description
 of
 the
 emerging
 concept
 of
 dam
 removal,
 this
 thesis
 contributes
 to
 the
 discourse
 on
 river
 management.
 The
 transformation
 is
 further
 illustrated
 through
 a
 study
 of
 a
 pioneering
 dam
 removal
 project
 currently
 underway
 on
 the
 Elwha
 River
 in
 the
 Pacific
 Northwest
 United
 States.
 This
 monumental
 project 
is 
the
 country's
 largest
 dam 
removal 
and
 most 
expensive 
river
restoration
 ever
 attempted.



The
 evolution
 of
 the
 Elwha
 River
 Dam
 Removal
 project
 is
 representative
 of
 the
 broad
 shift
 in
 river
 management
 and
 also
 indicative
 of
 the
 significant
policy
 issues
 that
 still
 exist
 around
 dam
 removal.
 Analysis
 of
 the
 phenomenon
 of
 policy
 change
 applied
 to
 the
 Elwha
 River
 case
 reveals
 factors
 of
 political
 receptivity,
 physical
 complexity,
 and
 advocacy
 coalitions
 that
 have
 been
 critical
 in
 the
 policy
 change
 process.
 From
 this
case,
 policy
 lessons
 are
 found
 regarding
 the
 implications
 of
 congressional
intervention
 in
 dam
 removal
 proposals,
 and
 the
 need
 for
 reforming
hydropower
 dam
 licensing
 procedures
 in
 the
 Federal
 Energy
 Regulatory
 Commission.
 These
 specific
 policy
 lessons
 are 
valuable
 for 
the 
integration 
of
 dam 
removal 
in 
lasting
 river management 
policy.