Planning Can be a Dam Nightmare (No Matter How Big or Small)

My major is in Resource Management - Land Use Planning, so over the past couple of years I have learned a bit about the planning process and how stakeholders play a huge role in the process. Until I started my college career at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point in 2007, I had never realized how many people rely on dams. Dams have been created and are used to help prevent flooding, create an alternative energy use for the local community, hold water to be distributed to other areas such as farm fields, and to reduce the rate of flow to decrease the amount of soil erosion that occurs further down the stream. There are many uses to a dam, resulting in a large number of stakeholders. A large number of stakeholders can result in many opposing sides and a lot of controversy.

I recently gave a presentation on the Kootenai watershed (over 19,000 sq. mi. in size) located in Idaho, Montana, and Canada. Located on the Kootenai river is Libby Dam. Libby Dam was created to prevent flooding and create hydroelectric power for the surrounding area. Keep in mind that Libby Dam is a rather large dam and stands 422 feet tall and holds back 90 miles of water. Needless to say, there are a lot of people that are in favor of Libby Dam, and many that are opposed to it. I am sure that many citizens are grateful for this dam because it helps prevent their property from being flooded every spring. On the other hand, some biologists are concerned for the habitat that the Kokanee Salmon and White Sturgeon populations below the dam rely on for spawning in each year. Those are just a couple of the stakeholder groups located within that watershed.

Some may think that only those dams of great size, like Libby Dam, involve a lot controversy in the decision making process. While the dam may be a lot larger, one may be surprised how many stakeholder groups are involved in a dam of much smaller size. Let’s take for instance the McDill Pond Dam located in the Village of Whiting, just south of Stevens Point. This dam was originally created for the logging processes going on. The creation of the dam resulted in McDill Pond. Recently, the dam has begun to leak causing officials to draw down McDill Pond. This has caused many stakeholders to voice their opinion on the matter. Many of the lake front owners are very concerned. If the dam is not fixed, and is instead torn down, their property will no longer be lakefront property. This could cause a decrease in property value up to 25%. Other citizens see it as too much of an economic hassle and believe it should be torn down. This dam may be a lot smaller than Libby Dam, but the planning process can still be complicated and still involves various stakeholder groups.

While a dam serves many great purposes to a community, it can be a planning nightmare. This is because of the amount of possible controversy that can come along with a dam. The existence and function of a dam causes there to be a lot of stakeholders to please in the planning process. The planning process can be tricky no matter how big or small the project is.

Works Cited:
Kootenai River Network, Inc. . 6 February 2012.

Portage County. McDill Pond.
. 9 February 2012.