A River Runs Through It

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Though the outlook for the Klamath River is grim (this year could be one of the driest in the basin since 1961), there are plenty of forward-thinkers who, like Gorlov, are working to make a difference. Nature Conservancy (Spring 2005) reports that for the first time in more than 180 years, the Neversink River in the Catskill Mountains is flowing freely. That's because last October scientists and activists braved floodwaters to help dismantle the Cuddebackville Dam, causing brook trout and American shad to quickly swim some 40 miles away from where they had been trapped.

There's also a push under way to remove unused or crumbling dams. The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit American Rivers says that 60 dams were removed in the United States in 2004, which is double the number demolished in 2003. Most municipalities, understanding that dams often cost more to repair than to destroy, have been eager to see them go. When the Embrey Dam on the Rappahannock River was demolished in February 2004, onlookers cheered wildly. It's a good guess that the newly freed fish were pleased as well.

TELL ME MORE

The Gorlov Helical Turbine
San Antonio-based GCK Technology owns the patent to the Gorlov helical turbine. www.gcktechnology.com

American Rivers
This environmental nonprofit runs a campaign to remove dams that don't make sense. www.americanrivers.org

Watershed: The Undamming of America (CounterPoint Press, 2002)
Journalist Elizabeth Grossman explains why many of America's 75,000 dams need to be demolished.

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