FUTURE OF DAMS

INFO

This studio is part of a larger NSF EPSCoR grant involving scientists, social scientists, and designers across six universities in New England. The objective was to study the effectiveness of 2D and 3D tools to help assist communities making decisions about the future of the dams located in their watersheds. The products and processes developed in this studio will be further developed and deployed in later stages of the grant.

The studio spent the semester researching the complexities involving the dams and the trade-offs regarding keeping, modifying, or removing the dams. Apart from researching the complexities and trade-offs regarding dams in New England, we designed a charrette that convenes a group of stakeholders to discuss the future of a specific dam. We began by researching the regulatory, hydrological, political, cultural, and ecological systems that have shaped the Pawcatuck River in Southwest Rode Island. In the final stage of the studio we developed landscape scenarios and visualizations for the Potter Hill Dam, one of the last remaining dams on the Pawcatuck River.

Why?

Dams have shaped complex social ecological systems across a vast territories of the globe. They are a symbol of economic prosperity and cultural identification as well as a potential source of energy and opportunity for recreation. Dams have also dramatically impacted our freshwater and coastal ecosystems. They place a fixed object in a fluid and dynamic landscape; preventing the passageway of migratory fish and altering the nutrient flows between the freshwater and coastal ecosystems.

Currently in the US there are over 100,000 dams. In the New England the number exceeds 14,000. Many of these structures are over a century old, less than ten feet high and no longer are in use for their original purpose. Thousands of dams across the country are coming to the end of their life cycles and will need to be repaired or removed in the coming years. Each dam has its own unique trade-offs and a diverse group of stakeholders that will need to be engaged in the decision about the future of the dam.

TRADE-OFF CARDS

We designed a tool intended to help stakeholders identify and articulate priority issues regarding the dam. The issues were then labeled and color-coded with one of the five categories: Geo-Physical, Structure, Biotic, Infrastructure, and Cultural.

INFORMATION BOARDS

Bring to attention the issues and factors contributing to the potential outcome of a decision. People would be able to walk around and read more on a topic they might find intriguing.