Abstract
Removing a dam from a river system produces a cascade of impacts that include the formation of the river channel in the upstream former reservoir and the adjustment of the downstream river channel to the change in sediment delivery eroded from the reservoir. River channel responses upstream and downstream of the dam vary relative to numerous factors, such as physiographic conditions, the size and age of the dam, the removal method, reservoir geometry, and the volume and texture distribution of stored sediment. Some predictable differences occur relative to small and large dam removals and methods of dam removal. Dam removals can result in negative consequences, but the restoration of functional physical processes related to sediment erosion, transport, and deposition indicative of more natural, nondisrupted conditions mostly prevail. Interest in dam removal projects and pre‐ and post‐removal river‐system monitoring is a growing field in geomorphology.