List of dam removals in Alabama
This is a list of dams in Alabama that have been removed as physical impediments to free-flowing rivers or streams.
Removals by watershed
Black Warrior River
In 2007 an illegal dam was removed from Mud Creek, a tributary of the Black Warrior River. The dam had been illegally constructed by Hanceville Water and Sewer to capture raw sewage leaking from a wastewater treatment plant.[1]
Old Shadow Lake Dam was removed from the Turkey Creek tributary in 2013. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partnered with the Freshwater Land Trust to remove the dam, which had blocked passage of the endangered vermilion darter.[2][3]
Cahaba River
In 2004, Marvel Slab Dam was removed from the Cahaba River. The dam consisted of 46 culverts under a bridge that allowed coal and logging trucks and coal mining equipment to cross the river.[4]
Chattahoochee River
Two major dams have been removed from the Chattahoochee River on the Alabama–Georgia border. The Eagle & Phenix Dam was demolished in 2012 and the City Mills Dam in 2013. The removals made way for a whitewater kayaking course.[5]
Proposed removals
In 2018, Georgia Power filed to decommission and remove two additional outdated hydroelectric dams on the Chattahoochee in Alabama–Georgia: Langdale Dam and Riverview Dam.[6]
Completed removals
Planned and proposed removals
| Dam | Expected year | Location | Watercourse | Watershed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Langdale Dam | Chambers County 32°48′56″N 85°09′55″W / 32.8156°N 85.1653°W |
Chatahoochee River | Chatahoochee River | |
| Riverview Dam | Chambers County 32°47′34″N 85°08′35″W / 32.7928°N 85.1431°W |
References
- ^ Williamson, Karen (August 23, 2007). "Dam removed". The Cullman Times. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
- ^ Songer, Joe (November 20, 2013). "Turkey Creek section restored after dam removal (photos, video and time lapse)". al.com. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ Pillion, Dennis (November 16, 2017). "Endangered Alabama fish confirmed in new area". al.com. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ a b Nijhuis, Michelle (August 2009). "The Cahaba: A River of Riches". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ a b c Chitwood, Tim; Stevens, Tiffany (March 12, 2013). "UPDATE: City Mills dam blast bigger than Eagle & Phenix". Ledger-Enquirer. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ Trahan, Cole (February 19, 2022). "Georgia Power looks to remove dams along the Chattahoochee". Valley Times-News. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
- ^ Rivers, American (February 13, 2023). "American Rivers Dam Removal Database". Figshare. American Rivers. doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.5234068.v10. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- ^ Pillion, Dennis (October 27, 2015). "Big Canoe Creek flowing free after dam removed". al.com. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ Wilson, Bill (June 4, 2019). "Dam on Tallapoosa River being removed this week". The Anniston Star. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ Pillion, Dennis (April 24, 2019). "Alabama river flows free after dam removal". al.com.
External links
Media related to Removed dams in Alabama at Wikimedia Commons