In past decades, dams were installed across the United States to help control the flow of rivers and supply water or hydroelectric energy to communities. However, these aging structures pose public safety threats, as well as disrupting aquatic ecosystems and harming biodiversity in freshwater systems, all while costing expensive maintenance fees. This nexus of factors has led to a series of dam removals around the country. 

A team that included IRIS affiliates Suman Jumani, Kyle McKay and Seth Wenger, representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other scientists from UGA and around the United States, worked together to create a tool that can help predict the costs of dam removal. This tool, which has generated buzz in news outlets like Politico Pro, American Association for the Advancement of Science’s EurekAlert! and PhysOrg, will allow planners to accurately assess the cost of removing dams–which in the past has served as a barrier to removal. 

Check out their tool and accompanying article below!