Notre Dame researcher is studying role small dams play in pollution control | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Notre Dame researcher is studying role small dams play in pollution control Notre Dame researcher is studying role small dams play in pollution control Published: March 26, 2013 Author: William G. Gilroy Sometimes, little things can add up to a lot. In short, that’s the message of a research study on small dams, streams and pollution by Steve Powers, a postdoctoral researcher in the University of Notre Dame’s Environmental Change Initiative (ND-ECI). “Small dams, reservoirs and ponds trap water pollution, which provides an important benefit to water resources,” Powers said. “This is especially relevant in agricultural lands of the Midwest U.S., where there are lots of small, but aging, dams.” Although small individually, the sum total of the small reservoirs and ponds have a global surface area comparable to that of all large reservoirs added together. Powers and his fellow researchers showed in detail how a small, aging dam, which was more than 100 years old and located in agricultural Wisconsin, trapped water pollutants associated with fertilizer and manure runoff. They also showed an increase in downstream transport of nutrient pollution after the dam was removed, which occurred because of concerns about the dam’s safety. “Many small dams are threatened by long-term structural decline and are also filling with sediment,” Powers said. “If we don’t better incorporate how small dams affect the movement of water and wastes through the environment, their benefit to downstream water quality could be lost. Meanwhile, legacy sediment and pollution currently trapped behind dams could release as dams lose their water storage capacity, fall apart or are removed deliberately.” Powers notes that there is a crucial need to gain a better understanding of what small dams mean for our water quality before they crumble and disappear. “I am continuing to work on the subject at a broader regional scale by looking at hundreds of stream and river monitoring stations throughout the Midwestern U.S. to detect signals of dams,” he said. “One current goal is to try and figure out which regions are most vulnerable to water quality changes caused by accumulation of sediment and phosphorus behind dams.” The research paper appeared in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences. Powers is conducting his research as part of the ND-ECI’s Land Use Project. The ND-ECI conducts policy-oriented research designed to help policymakers manage environmental changes. Contact: Steve Powers, 574-631-9322, powers_s@nd.edu Posted In: Research Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related October 05, 2022 Astrophysicists find evidence for the presence of the first stars October 04, 2022 NIH awards $4 million grant to psychologists researching suicide prevention September 29, 2022 Notre Dame, Ukrainian Catholic University launch three new research grants September 27, 2022 Notre Dame, Trinity College Dublin engineers join to advance novel treatment for cystic fibrosis September 22, 2022 Climate-prepared countries are losing ground, latest ND-GAIN index shows For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn