Meet Dam Removal Europe
Why returning rivers to a free-flowing state is a climate and nature solution we can't afford to skip
Flowing from one historic capital city to the next, Europe’s majestic rivers have captured the imaginations of countless generations of locals and travelers alike. From leisurely walks along the Seine to bike rides through the verdant Rhine River Valley, there are activities to please everyone along the continent’s waterways.
You wouldn’t know it by looking at them — but Europe’s rivers are among the most domesticated in the world. They’ve been subjected to centuries of human domination and engineering that has literally reshaped their flows and ecosystems. Barriers like dams and weirs have fueled a hydropower boom and filled agricultural reservoirs. But at the same time, the proliferation of blockages has led to harmful side effects, including the impediment of water quality and the destruction of wildlife habitats. They’ve also wiped out free and self-sustainable wild fisheries in Europe, by reducing migratory fish populations -93% in the last fifty years.
The Green Journey joined Dam Removal Europe for an expedition through the French départements of Brittany and Normandy to learn about a growing movement to return Europe’s rivers to their natural, free-flowing state.
We spent the day with 30+ “river heroes” from all across Europe - from Portugal to North Macedonia - who joined in a session to bring back lessons in dam removal and waterway restoration to their home countries. We love a climate solution here at The Green Journey, but we love it even more when it’s shared among peers!
Wait, I thought that dams were a good thing!
That’s what the hydropower lobby wants you to believe, indiscriminately. But the answer is more complex than a blank-check for damming rivers.
As a low-carbon energy source, hydropower is generally regarded as the most mature, reliable and cost effective technology available in the world today. In many markets, it’s the lowest-cost source of electricity, period.
But problems and pitfalls begin when damming is done indiscriminately. And after over a century of infrastructure build-out, the European continent, which is home to over one million dams, has an estimated 150,000+ dams that are now obsolete. Most dams have a design life of 50-100 years, and the density of barriers that are redundant or in disrepair contribute to poorer river quality and a catastrophic decline in Europe’s freshwater species.
Additionally, as global temperatures rise and droughts increase, dam critics now say that dried-up reservoirs and increased methane releasees should spell the end of big hydropower.
So what can be done to counteract the harmful effects of damming Europe’s wild rivers? Enter Dam Removal Europe. Their ambition is nothing less than “to restore rivers that have high natural or cultural importance” as they write in their mission statement.
Last year, the DRE coalition counted a record-breaking year for reported dam removals on the continent: more than 325+ barriers came down, with Spain, Sweden and France taking the top three places. While we’re still waiting for 2023 numbers to be counted, the initiative’s dynamic map shows a promising trajectory, with each dam removal bringing the European continent closer to free-flowing rivers!
The Selune Solution
For The Green Journey, the opportunity to join Dam Removal Europe for a tour of the Selune River gave us a chance to experience firsthand what benefits accrue when dam removal is done right.
Beginning near Saint-Cyr-du-Bailleul and flowing for 85 km before emptying into the iconic bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, the Selune is a coastal river that historically served as the final freshwater channel for many native migratory fish species, most charismatically the Atlantic salmon.
Recognizing the declining ecological character of the river, which was heavily impacted by sediment buildup and toxic cyanobacteria, several stakeholders worked together to free the flow of the Selune. Two major dams were removed between 2019-2022: the 36-meter Vezins Dam (also the highest dam removal in European history) and La Roche Qui Boit dam.
The process to reach this point was not easy: a nearly two-decades-long process of scientific study, negotiation with the French Government & EDF (the local utility) and a sometimes-contentious engagement with the local population, which was divided in its understanding of and support for the dam removal.
The plan to remove the dams even ground to a halt in 2014, lying dormant for a few years after a government retreat But in 2017, Nicholas Hulot, the then-minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition in France, announced his decision to resume the process, and the demolition went ahead.
Today, the Selune flows free, and the positive impacts of the dam removal are already visible: water quality has improved, cyanobacteria have disappeared, and the Atlantic salmon has been spotted in the ecosystem for the first time in decades!
A complex question for a changing climate
It’s worth noting that dam removal faces a serious communications challenge: in the context of Europe’s hottest summer on record and severe drought plaguing the Western Mediterranean region, there is increased tension and controversy around dam removal. Detractors see the practice as a threat to scarce water supplies and agricultural use cases; as exemplified by the Selune River, it can likewise be challenging to convince local populations about the benefits of river restoration when they’ve grown up only knowing the recreational use cases of a nearby reservoir.
But, as the world continues to warm, obsolete dams become a major point of ecosystem vulnerability at both the deluge and drought extremes of ‘global weirding’: poorly managed dam projects are susceptible to breakage and flooding, especially on sediment-bearing rivers; on the other side, in the case of drought, dams can sometimes do more harm than good, begetting higher levels of evaporation and rising emissions from methane, a greenhouse gas that is up to four times more potent than CO2.
There’s not a one-size-fits all answer on the role that dams should play in a greener future, but as the example of the Selune Dam Removal shows, a thoughtfully executed dam removal, done with scientific backing and stakeholder engagement, nature and the climate have everything to gain.
DAM it, let’s do something!
Did this story get you excited about dam removal’s untapped potential as a climate and nature solution near you? We’ve put together three ways you can get involved:
Watch a movie: Eager to live the Dam Removal Europe experience for yourselves? Screen #Dambusters: The Start of the Riverlution on WaterBear Network today, for free! Better yet, invite a few friends to join you
Remove a dam: With over 150,000 obsolete dams across Europe, chances are there’s a dam, barrier, or weir near you that could stand to come down. The Nature Conservancy developed this online toolkit to provide an introduction to dam removal as a tool for river restoration. Give it a read to start your journey!
Engage with us on social media: You can check out the Dam Removal Europe community on Instagram, hosted by World Fish Migration Foundation. For more climate and nature solutions, follow along with The Green Journey as well!
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Very nicely written article! It was lovely to welcome you during our journey! Céline