February came with some FLOW!
Over the past year, we have been monitoring two huge dam removals in Europe, the Sindi Dam in Estonia and the Vezins Dam in France.
The Vezins Dam project involved the removal of a 36m high dam along the Selune River in Normandy, France. This is the biggest dam removal in Europe to date! This removal is now over 80% complete and the Selune is beginning to find her bed again. Once this dam is removed, the project team will move on to remove another dam, La Roche Qui Boit, to open up the entire 90km-long Selune River!
February 2020 update as the works are over 80% complete. ©DDTM50
Watch this video for an overview of the works to-date!
The Sindi Dam removal involved the removal of a dam spanning 151m across the Parnu River in Estonia. This removal is part of a larger river restoration project aimed at opening 3300km of river basin! That is the largest river restoration project in Europe to-date! Once this removal is completely finished, the project team will continue to remove 8-10 other dams that block river connectivity.
In this February 2020 update, you can see the river rush past the place where the dam used to sit. ©Ministry of the Environment, Estonia
Both of these projects are incredibly amazing and aim to bring wildlife back to their respective rivers and surrounding areas. With the completion of these two projects, Europe will be two free-flowing rivers richer. Which river is next?
