Editor, OBSERVER:

I’m currently working on an internship tasked with promoting environmental awareness along with the hopes of creating as large a wildlife refuge as possible. I believe I have a possible solution to the obsolete dam problem in Brocton that should be brought to light.

All over the country, municipalities have been removing obsolete dams completely which offers a wealth of benefits as compared to maintaining them or even altering their purpose. Around 70 dams were removed in the U.S in 2020 which may not sound like much, but the rate of dam removal is increasing as they slowly become larger liabilities due to their age. New York was actually one of the states with the most dam removals at six.

Due to this increasing trend of dam removal, the benefits are slowly becoming more and more apparent.

Their removal gives the now free flowing water access to more natural environmental features such as marshes which can improve water quality, enhance natural fish and wildlife habitats, along with creating some recreational activities in some areas.

The benefits are beyond environmental repair as well. The costs of keeping a dam will only increase with its age along with the chance of catastrophe. Removing the dam will incur initial construction and consultation costs in the short-term, but will eliminate long-term insurance, maintenance and recurring consultation costs from these engineering firms.

KEVIN SEYBOLD II,

Dunkirk