# Dam removal outside the US

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dam-removal-outside-the-us/741987>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 2, 2016, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dam-removal-outside-the-us/741987 "2016-01-02T10:36:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dam-removal-outside-the-us/741987/1 "2016-01-02T10:36:02Z")

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Wikipedia has an article on [Dam removal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dam_removal), but it concentrates on the US. Have there been any largish dams outside the US removed?

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**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dam-removal-outside-the-us/741987/2 "2016-01-02T11:19:53Z")

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Who ya gonna call? [Dambusters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chastise)! 🙂

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dam-removal-outside-the-us/741987/3 "2016-01-02T23:51:58Z")

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A couple in the Loire drainage basin in France were removed in the 1990s to improve salmon migration:

Maisons-Rouges Dam [cite](http://www.rivernet.org/general/dams/decommissioning_fr_hors_poutes/stedvig.htm#The%20maison)

Saint-Étienne-du-Vigan Dam [cite in French](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrage_de_Saint-%C3%89tienne-du-Vigan)

The document [Dam Removal: The Global View (PDF)](https://www.internationalrivers.org/files/attached-files/damremovalbrochure.pdf) has some information about dam removals and proposed removals outside the US on pages 6 and 7.

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**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2016, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dam-removal-outside-the-us/741987/4 "2016-01-03T03:01:30Z")

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Thanks, bib. Looks like several dams in the Loire drainage basin have been removed.

On the other hand, I see that they’ve been talking about removing the Theodosia and Coursier Dams in British Columbia for quite a few years, but I can’t find evidence that they’ve actually been removed.

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**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2016, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dam-removal-outside-the-us/741987/5 "2016-01-03T09:45:20Z")

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Upon further research, I found that the Coursier Dam was removed in 2003. Still not sure about the Theodosia Dam.