Investigating River Restoration Feasibility forArgo Pond on the Huron River,Ann Arbor, Michigan:ProposalClient: Huron River Watershed CouncilAdvisor: Dr. Gloria HelfandApril 7, 2003Wendy Adams, Meghan Cauzillo, Katie Chiang,Sara Deuling, Ati TislericsGroup email: [email protected] of ContentsAbstract 2Problem Statement 2Introduction 3Background: Argo Dam 4Description of Proposed Research 7References 10Budget 20Personnel 22Wendy Adams 22Meghan Cauzillo 22Kathleen Chiang 22Sara Deuling 23Ati Tislerics 23Resumes 24AbstractProblem StatementIntroductionBackground: Argo DamDescription of Proposed ResearchLiterature ReviewHistorical AnalysisSurveyStakeholder AnalysisEconomic AnalysisPolitical AnalysisReferencesWorkplanPhase 1: Project OrganizationPhase 2: Data CollectionPhase 3: Data AnalysisPhase 4: Final ReportTimelineBudgetPersonnelWendy AdamsMeghan CauzilloKathleen ChiangSara DeulingAti TislericsWendy Mae Adams1119 Olivia • Ann Arbor, MI 48104 • (865) 384-8637 • [email protected] Davidson College, Davidson, North CarolinaWork Ecological field assistant at Mount St. Helens, 1994 and 2000. Participated in plantSkills Computer: Proficient in WordPerfect; Word; Lotus 123; Endnote; Excel; PowerPoint; and PageMaker.Honors Abernathy Scholarship, 2001Kathleen M. ChiangSara L. DeulingATTILA T. TISLERICS18654 Gaylord • Redford, MI 48240-1967 • (313) 794-0164 • [email protected]: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MIInvestigating River Restoration Feasibility forArgo Pond on the Huron River,Ann Arbor, Michigan:ProposalClient: Huron River Watershed CouncilAdvisor: Dr. Gloria HelfandApril 7, 2003Wendy Adams, Meghan Cauzillo, Katie Chiang, Sara Deuling, Ati TislericsGroup email: [email protected] of Contents Abstract 2Problem Statement 2Introduction 3Background: Argo Dam 4Description of Proposed Research 7Rationale and Objectives 7Research Methods 7Institutional Resources 9References 10Workplan 11Timeline 15Budget 20Personnel 22Wendy Adams 22Meghan Cauzillo 22Kathleen Chiang 22Sara Deuling 23Ati Tislerics 23Resumes 241AbstractPeople have long used dams and reservoirs to produce inexpensive energy, store water, control floods, provide recreation, and spur economic development. However, we are just beginning to understand the negative impacts dams have on rivers, such as habitat damage and water shortages downstream. Across the country, state and federal agencies are examining dam removal as a means to restore the ecological integrity of rivers. Argo Dam on the Huron River in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been identified by the state Department of Natural Resources as a candidate for removal and ecological restoration. However, for an equitable and informed decision to be made on removal, much research is needed, such as studies on hydrologic, ecologic, economic, and social impacts. Our project will focus on the “human” aspects of this issue, with the goal of evaluating the political and economic feasibility of restoring the Argo area.This will include identifying stakeholders and determining the value of the dam and pond for users and local residents. Our research methods will include mail surveys, interviews, and literature review. Our client, the Huron River Watershed Council, plans to use our findings to augment the ecological and otherdata that they are gathering to develop proposals for the future of Argo Pond and Dam.Problem Statement A study by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has suggested that, over the long term, removing Argo Dam could produce considerable ecological, economic, recreational, safety, and aestheticbenefits (Hay-Chmielewski 1995). However, community perceptions and attitudes have not been thoroughly assessed and a comprehensive economic analysis does not exist (Riggs 2003). Though removal of the dam may be desirable from an ecological standpoint, other considerations will be at least as important in management decisions for this portion of the Huron River. In this project, we will evaluate the feasibility of restoring the Argo area to a more natural state, including removing Argo Dam, focusing on the political and economic factors involved. We will do so by gauging community perceptions, attitudes and values with mail surveys that employ both socio-cultural research questions and a non-market valuation method, guided and augmented by literature review and interviews with key stakeholders. We will share our findings with our client, the Huron River Watershed Council, and other interested parties to help inform management decisions for the Argo area, and also with the larger academic community to contribute to the base of knowledge about river restoration feasibility.2IntroductionDams and reservoirs are common and important features of the American landscape. In the United States today, there are at least 76,000 dams that were built during the last century (National Inventory of Dams 2003). Millions of Americans rely on dams and reservoirs for flood control, municipal and agricultural water supplies, and recreation. They are used to make previously impassable waterways navigable, and to generate inexpensive, renewable electricity without polluting the air. Damsare important to public officials and communities as tools for economic development. For these reasons,dams have been quite popular throughout American history. Dams and reservoirs are often community landmarks, with a great deal of historical and emotional significance. Dams may also offer certain ecological benefits, such as preventing large-scale migrations of some exotic species and maintaining genetically distinct populations of wild and hatchery-raised fish (Stanley & Doyle, 2003).However, dam construction also imposes various long-term costs. Some costs are related to the limitations of the usable lifespans of dams due to sedimentation of the reservoir and structural deterioration, which necessitate expensive dredging, repair and reconstruction. In recent decades it has become apparent that dam construction also involves ecological costs, which were typically not understood or considered at the time of construction. Dams cause the fragmentation of aquatic ecosystems, which leads to the loss of migratory fishes such as salmon. Other organisms are also negatively impacted when dams disrupt riparian environments: roughly 30 percent of all endangered andthreatened animals in the U.S. rely on riparian environments, and
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