American Whitewater’s Regulated Rivers Program
American Whitewater has a long-standing program opposing new dam construction, working with dam owners to improve instream flows at existing dams, and advocating for dam removal dams where necessary. American Whitewater initiated this campaign back in 1957 with a letter filed in opposition to the construction of Glen Canyon Dam. Over the years we have established ourselves as the national leader representing whitewater recreation interests integrated with river conservation ethics. American Whitewater’s Regulated Rivers Program focuses primarily on private hydropower dams under Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) jurisdiction. American Whitewater also applies knowledge and expertise gained in the FERC arena to dams managed by the Army Corps of Engineer Dams and Bureau of Reclamation, as well as private dams where opportunity arises.
American Whitewater takes a pragmatic restoration approach in hydropower relicensing. The organization seeks to holistically restore ecological processes and river recreation to the river system while simultaneously recognizing that hydropower plays an important role in our national energy portfolio. Our goals focus on minimizing the footprint hydropower makes on the landscape through restoring and enhancing both ecological and recreational functions of rivers. American Whitewater proposes instream flow alternatives based on analysis of the natural hydrograph prior to dam construction coupled with project economics and the larger energy markets. Ideally, river recreation including whitewater is a byproduct of a healthy functioning river system restored through the relicense process. American Whitewater actively opposes new dam construction particularly micro hydro projects.
American Whitewater’s recreation specific goals and objectives include restoration of flows for river recreation, enhancement of public access and facilities as warranted, and mitigating the impacts of flow storage and diversion through publication of real-time flow information via the internet and toll-free phone line. American Whitewater is the national expert on the design and implementation of whitewater flow studies at hydropower projects and rivers where flows are regulated by dams.
American Whitewater in concert with other river conservation organizations at the national, regional and state level helped found the Hydropower Reform Coalition in 1992 and the California Hydropower Reform Coalition in 1997. These coalitions were formed in response to the tremendous hydropower licensing workload and need for policy as well as procedural reform. Collectively, these groups developed important tools and information for citizen groups to participate in the licensing process.
Adversaries often attempt to distort the conservation community’s goals and objectives in hydropower relicensing. Unfortunately, this misinformation leads to battle lines being drawn in the relicense process, slowing down the process of gathering information about existing conditions and researching alternative flow regimes that might improve conditions for aquatic organisms and recreation.