Impacts of a Small Dam Removal on the Endangered Watercress Darter
Dam removals are typically well-planned events designed to restore sections of habitat to natural conditions within stream or river systems. In this paper, we document the deliberate but unplanned removal of a small dam that had created additional habitat for the federally-endangered watercress darter (Etheostoma nuchale) at Roebuck Spring in Birmingham, Alabama. On 19 September 2008, Birmingham city workers removed the dam without consulting U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. This genetically-unique darter population was the...
