Abstract
Decisions about dams, like other environmental conflicts, involve complex trade-offs between different water uses with varying human and ecological impacts, have significant impacts on public resources, and involve many stakeholders with diverse and often conflicting interests. Given the many upcoming dam decisions in New England and across the United States, an improved understanding of public preferences about dam decisions is needed to steward resources in the public interest. This research asks (1) What does the public want to see happen with dams? and (2) How do public preferences regarding dam removal vary with demography and politics? We address these questions using data from three random sample statewide telephone polls conducted in New Hampshire over 2018 that asked people for their preferences concerning dam removal versus maintaining dams for specific benefits—property values, hydropower generation, industrial history, or recreation. Respondent age, education, gender, and political party were tested among the possible predictors. We find that majorities (52% or 54%) of respondents favor removing dams rather than keeping them for industrial history or property values, and a plurality (43%) favor removal over keeping them for recreation. A plurality (46%) prefer keeping dams, however, if they are used to generate hydropower. Respondent background characteristics and political identity affect these preferences in ways resembling those for many other environment-related issues: women, young or middle-aged individuals, and political liberals or moderates (Democrats or independents) more often support dam removal. Education, on the other hand, has no significant effects. The results quantify levels of general public support for dam removal in New England, illustrating the use of public opinion polling to complement input from public meetings and guide decisions. More broadly, they contribute a new topic to existing scholarship on the social bases of environmental concern.
Highlights
Decisions about dams, whether to build, modify, or remove them, are fundamentally decisions about managing trade-offs between different water uses with varying human and ecological impacts and, feature many of the characteristics of other environmental conflicts (Gleick, 2018)
Recognizing that preferences change over time and our findings provide only a snapshot of preferences, it is important to consider the importance of identity, of age, gender, and political party differences, in analyses of the politics of dam decisions, removal, and river restoration
Our findings support the use of public opinion polling to inform deliberative processes, providing support for interesting possibilities to combine the two to inform dam decisions
Summary
Whether to build, modify, or remove them, are fundamentally decisions about managing trade-offs between different water uses with varying human and ecological impacts and, feature many of the characteristics of other environmental conflicts (Gleick, 2018). Especially small dams, is an increasingly popular option for ecosystem restoration in New England and the Unites States (O’Connor et al, 2015; Magilligan et al, 2016), each dam decision is unique and many dam owners decide to keep their dam. Given the many upcoming dam decisions in the New England region and across other parts of the Unites States, an improved understanding of public preferences about dam decisions is needed to inform the public and guide communities, regulators, and other stakeholders seeking to steward resources in the public interest (Johnson and Graber, 2002; Magilligan et al, 2016)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
