Review of Literature of Small Dams with a Case Study on the South Cumberland Plateau

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Authors

Almon, Molly

Issue Date

2024-05-01

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Thesis

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en_US

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University of the South , Biology Department , Sewanee Senior Honors Theses 2024 , Dams , South Cumberland Plateau , Environmental impacts , Ecology , Biology

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Small dams (<5m high) are found abundantly across the world due to limited or absent regulation and a variety of uses including agriculture, flood-prevention, water control, drinking water, wildfire prevention, recreation, and aesthetics. Though often thought to have less of an impact downstream because of their size, they can acutely alter downstream habitat, and their frequency suggests that these impacts could accumulate to have larger effects. Small dams change abiotic dynamics like flow, water temperature, pH, geomorphology, chemical and nutrient transportation, and oxygenation based on their operation. The biotic communities respond to these shifts by altering behaviors and population dynamics around the physical structure of the dam. We investigated the frequency with which streams on the southern Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee are impacted and reviewed the literature to identify key questions about the environmental impacts of small dams. Although small dams can cause negative downstream change, their presence can also have positive environmental impacts, and we sought to identify characteristics that benefit or degrade the surrounding ecosystems. More research needs to be done to address the variations of small dams and propel regulation and monitoring accordingly by state and federal agencies. This includes research into the effects on specific species and regions, assessing different types of small dams, and cumulative effects on the biota.

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University of the South

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