$2 million study looking into Daniels Dam removal in Patapsco River is ongoing
For more than a decade, American Rivers, an environmental advocacy non-profit, has been working to remove dams along the Patapsco River.
Daniels Dam in Howard County, in particular, is one dam being studied by the group.
American Rivers is attempting to restore the river to what it was and help it be more resilient to climate change.
Study in progress
With the help of a nearly $2 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, American Rivers is in the middle of a feasibility study.
The study will evaluate if the removal of Daniels Dam is possible, as well as other options like repairing or moving the dam.
DNR has the final say on whether removal happens or not. The agency will weigh a lot of factors from that study, like the impact of built-up sediment.
"We don't want it washing downriver and causing major flooding. We don't want to facilitate the passage of an invasive species," said Dr. Joseph Love, fisheries manager with DNR.
DNR is supportive of American Rivers' efforts, but it'll wait for at least the study to be done first.
"It's not a decision that's made very lightly, and it does require a lot of public feedback," said Love. "A lot of internal and external conversations with professionals in the area."
However, even if DNR were to sign off on removal today, it'll take years before it actually happens.
An obstacle and safety risk
The Patapsco River has been flowing over Daniels Dam since the 1800s, but if American Rivers has its way, the dam will be history.
It would be the fourth dam the group has removed from the river. The goal is to restore the river's flow and remove an obstacle for fish native to the river.
Dams are also known to be sources of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane.
"Having the river reconnected allows those fish to move to spawning grounds in order for them to have healthy populations," said Jessie Thomas-Blate, the director of river restoration for American Rivers.
Removing the dam also makes the area safer. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, or DNR, forbids anyone in the water within 300 feet of the dam.
There have been three emergency incidents in the last 15 years in the area around Daniels Dam, according to numbers from Maryland Natural Resources Police. The most recent one, a near-drowning, happened in 2020.
Fortunately, no one has ever died here.
History of dam removal
For American Rivers, removal is something everyone benefits from.
"People get their drinking water from rivers, and people need rivers to have ample room for helping attenuate flooding, so the flooding in communities is not as bad," Thomas-Blate said.
The most recent dam removed from the Patapsco River was the Bloede Dam in 2018.
Last year in July, WJZ met kayakers who say the removal was definitely for the better.
"Once it was all said and done, we could finally get to the trail," said Julie Bogusz of Catonsville. "It is beautiful, and people can fish."
