Taking Down Dams Before they are Built
By Helena Kralova, Morava Riverkeeper

» One of the benefits for the Czech Republic of joining the European Union was the adoption of the Water Framework Directive, a legislative document compulsory for every member of the E.U.
The framework commits the Czech Republic to recognizing that, “Water is a heritage which must be protected, defended and treated as such,” and taking action to clean up and protect our waterways. But when the Czech River Basin Management Authorities prepared a strategy to ensure the long-term health of our rivers and protection of our water supply the result was shocking. Their proposal was a plan to build 200 new dams on our rivers.

Fortunately, under the Framework, the plan had to be opened to the public for comment. The mayors and citizens of towns and villages where the new dams were planned were informed and engaged. The protest was so strong that the Czech Ministry of Agriculture, the governing body of the River Basin Management Authorities, withdrew the plan. The plan was rewritten, and approved without the 200 dams. Our efforts are now aimed at restoring wetlands, wet meadows, ponds and floodplain forests.

Right Place, Right Time
By Michael Mullen, Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper

» For almost two decades, proponents of a reservoir in southeast Alabama have been looking for a river to destroy. The effort started under the mantra of flood control in 1990, when a levee broke on Whitewater Creek submerging the town of Elba, Alabama. The mayor of Ariton, Alabama used the event and the concern it created over flood control to champion a dam for the Pea River, the largest tributary to the Choctawhatchee River, despite the fact that the Pea River did not cause the flood. He assigned newly formed Choctawhatchee-Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Authority to take on the task.

Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper followed the developments closely and contacted downstream stakeholders in Florida who were not aware of the proposed reservoir — when they found out it created a firestorm. The Authority soon learned that the river could not be killed without a long and costly fight. Proponents of the dam eventually succumbed because of opposition from downstream residents. The Little Choctawhatchee River is safe for the time being but the battle for sane water management is not over. The region has done little if anything in the area of conservation, efficiency and water reuse. Our rivers will never be safe as long as sound water management is absent.