Connecticut Land Conservation Conference

March 22, 2025

Frank Center for Public Affairs,
238 Church Street, Wesleyan University, Middletown

Home > Conference > C.8 Dam Ownership and Removal for Ecological Restoration in Connecticut

Workshops

C.8 Dam Ownership and Removal for Ecological Restoration in Connecticut

Room: TBD
Intro Level, Intermediate Level, Advanced Level

Human-made dams lead to fragmented habitat and declining wildlife populations, degraded water quality, and disrupted ecological processes. Aging dams are also a maintenance and liability issue for landowners and may even threaten property and public safety. At least 4,200 dams line Connecticut’s rivers. While some provide values like hydropower or drinking water, the vast majority of these dams were built to power mills or factories and have no functional purpose today. Save the Sound is a founding member of the River Restoration Network, a group of practitioners in the Long Island Sound Region promoting and accelerating the removal of defunct dams. This presentation will discuss the process and benefits of dam removal with examples from Connecticut, as well as the challenges and ecosystem restoration opportunities for conservation organizations that own (or are considering owning) properties with dams.

Presenter(s)

Resources and Handouts

Clcc Handclap

“CLCC’s annual conference is like Woodstock for Connecticut’s land conservation community. It’s an opportunity to foster connections, get inspired, and celebrate our collective accomplishments”

- Pete Govert, Executive Director, East Haddam Land Trust


Previous Conferences

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