U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Open-File Report 2016–1132

Dam Removal Information Portal (DRIP)—A Map-Based 

Resource Linking Scientific Studies and Associated 

Geospatial Information about Dam Removals

Dam Removal Information Portal (DRIP)—A Map-Based 

Resource Linking Scientific Studies and Associated 

Geospatial Information about Dam Removals

By Jeffrey J. Duda, Daniel J. Wieferich, R. Sky Bristol, J. Ryan Bellmore, Vivian B. Hutchison, Katherine M. Vittum, 

Laura Craig, and Jonathan A. Warrick

Open-File Report 2016–1132

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

SALLY JEWELL, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Suzette M. Kimball, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2016

For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth,

its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment—visit

http://www.usgs.gov/ or call 1–888–ASK–USGS (1–888–275–8747).

For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications,

visit http://www.store.usgs.gov.

Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply

endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may

contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items

must be secured from the copyright owner.

Suggested citation:

Duda, J.J., Wieferich, D.J., Bristol, R.S., Bellmore, J.R., Hutchison, V.B., Vittum, K.M., Craig, Laura, and Warrick, 

J.A., 2016, Dam Removal Information Portal (DRIP)—A map-based resource linking scientific studies and 

associated geospatial information about dam removals: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2016-1132, 

14 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20161132. 

ISSN 2331-1258 (online)
iii

Contents

Abstract ...................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Introduction................................................................................................................................................................. 2

Architectural Concept ................................................................................................................................................. 3

National Dam Removal Science Database................................................................................................................. 5

Dam Removals........................................................................................................................................................ 6

National Dam Removal Science Database Dam Removals ................................................................................ 7

American Rivers Dam Removals......................................................................................................................... 7

Dam-Removal References...................................................................................................................................... 7

Dam-Removal Properties and Studies.................................................................................................................... 8

Dam-Removal Concepts ......................................................................................................................................... 9

Dam Removal Information Portal................................................................................................................................ 9

Visualization, Analysis, and Data Access Portal—Front End of the Dam Removal Information Portal (DRIP)...... 10

Potential Future Directions and Additional Linkages to Other Resources................................................................. 11

Linked Open Data ................................................................................................................................................. 11

Knowledge Assembly Engine................................................................................................................................ 11

Monitoring Project and Protocol Registry .............................................................................................................. 12

Acknowledgments..................................................................................................................................................... 12

References Cited...................................................................................................................................................... 12

Figure

Figure 1. Component architecture of the National Dam Removal Science Database, showing its underlying 

components (A) presented at https://www.sciencebase.gov/drip (B) using an Application Programming 

Interface (API)............................................................................................................................................................ 4

Table

Table 1. Information sources used for the dam-removal information in the National Dam Removal Science 

Database ................................................................................................................................................................... 5
iv

Conversion Factors

Inch/Pound to International System of Units

Multiply By To obtain

Volume

acre-foot (acre-ft) 1,233 cubic meter (m3)

International System of Units to Inch/Pound

Multiply By To obtain

Length

meter (m) 3.281 foot (ft) 

Volume

cubic meter (m3) 0.0008107 acre-foot (acre-ft) 

Abbreviations

AGAP Aquatic Gap Analysis Program

API Application Programming Interface

CDI Community for Data Integration

CSV comma-separated values 

DOI digital object identifier

DRIP Dam Removal Information Portal

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

HTML Hypertext Markup Language

NAIP National Agriculture Imagery Program

NDRSD National Dam Removal Science Database

NHDPlusV2 National Hydrography Dataset Plus Version 2 

NID National Inventory of Dams

NWIS National Water Information System 

PNAMP Pacific Northwest Area Monitoring Partnership

URI Uniform Resource Identifier

USGS U.S. Geological Survey
1 

Dam Removal Information Portal (DRIP)—A Map-Based 

Resource Linking Scientific Studies and Associated 

Geospatial Information about Dam Removals

By Jeffrey J. Duda1, Daniel J. Wieferich1, R. Sky Bristol1, J. Ryan Bellmore2, Vivian B. Hutchison1, Katherine M.

Vittum1, Laura Craig3, and Jonathan A. Warrick1 

Abstract

The removal of dams has recently increased over historical levels due to aging infrastructure, 

changing societal needs, and modern safety standards rendering some dams obsolete. Where 

possibilities for river restoration, or improved safety, exceed the benefits of retaining a dam, removal is 

more often being considered as a viable option. Yet, as this is a relatively new development in the 

history of river management, science is just beginning to guide our understanding of the physical and 

ecological implications of dam removal. Ultimately, the “lessons learned” from previous scientific 

studies on the outcomes dam removal could inform future scientific understanding of ecosystem 

outcomes, as well as aid in decision-making by stakeholders. We created a database visualization tool, 

the Dam Removal Information Portal (DRIP), to display map-based, interactive information about the 

scientific studies associated with dam removals. Serving both as a bibliographic source as well as a link 

to other existing databases like the National Hydrography Dataset, the derived National Dam Removal 

Science Database serves as the foundation for a Web-based application that synthesizes the existing 

scientific studies associated with dam removals. Thus, using the DRIP application, users can explore 

information about completed dam removal projects (for example, their location, height, and date 

removed), as well as discover sources and details of associated of scientific studies. As such, DRIP is 

intended to be a dynamic collection of scientific information related to dams that have been removed in 

the United States and elsewhere. This report describes the architecture and concepts of this 

“metaknowledge” database and the DRIP visualization tool. 

1

U.S. Geological Survey. 

2

U.S. Forest Service.

3

American Rivers, non-profit organization. 
2 

Introduction

For millennia, human societies have had a close association with rivers and their floodplains. 

During the 19th and 20th centuries, as technological advancements allowed more widespread use and 

manipulation of rivers, a boom in dam building occurred. Dams provided numerous societal and 

economic benefits, such as hydropower production, flood control, transportation, and water storage

(World Commission on Dams, 2000). With this increase in dam construction, a greater appreciation of 

the ecological effects on rivers emerged (Petts, 1984; Magilligan and Nislow, 2005; Poff and others, 

2007). The hydrological alteration of rivers changes their structure and function (Ward and Stanford, 

1995; Bunn and Arthington, 2002), which can have both physical and biological effects that cascade 

through the system (Ligon and others, 1995; Nilsson and Berggren, 2000; Poff and Zimmerman, 2010; 

Ellis and Jones, 2013). 

One estimate suggests that the United States has more than 2 million dams on rivers and streams 

(Graf, 1993). However, only a small fraction of those structures is mapped, and there is no 

comprehensive national database for all dams in the United States (Smith and others, 2002; Magilligan 

and others, 2016). A key source of information on dams in the United States is the National Inventory of 

Dams (NID), a congressionally mandated database maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

The dams in this database, numbering more than 80,000, generally are those larger in size than most 

dams in the United States. To be included in the NID, dams must meet criteria based on height (>7.62 

m) or reservoir storage area (holding more than 61,674 m3 [50 acre-ft] of water), or represent a 

significant safety hazard in the event of a breach or catastrophic failure (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,

2013). The database contains many fields describing different attributes of each dam, including the year 

the dam was built. Based on the known age of dams in the NID, more than 80 percent of dams will be 

more than 50 years old by 2030. Reflecting the age structure of the entire assemblage of U.S. dams, the 

trend of aging dams is an infrastructure issue that has partly led to an increase in dam removals over the 

past four decades (O’Connor and others, 2015). 

The increase of dam removals in the United States and elsewhere has been influenced by aging 

infrastructure, changing societal needs and values, and modernizing safety standards (Stanley and 

Doyle, 2003). In some cases, if a dam removal provides better economics, improved safety, or 

possibilities for river restoration, then it may outweigh the costs of repair or rebuilding of an existing 

dam. Although the NID is a great resource for understanding larger dams on the landscape, it was not 

developed to account for removed dams. Currently (2016), the best resource for information on U.S. 

dam removals is a database maintained by the non-profit organization, American Rivers 

(http://www.americanrivers.org). This database contains information on more than 1,300 dam removals 

since 1912 in the United States. Records include the location, size, year built, and year removed, 

although this information is not present for all dams in the database. Although the costs and benefits of 

dam removal involve evaluating many social, economic, and infrastructure tradeoffs, research into the 

physical and biological outcomes of dam removal can play an important role in the decision making 

process. 
3 

The increasing number of dam removals has generated an increase in the number of scientific 

studies assessing the outcomes of dam removal. When deciding if and how to decommission dams, 

decision makers and stakeholders look for the “lessons learned” from these scientific studies that have 

examined the geomorphic, biological, and ecological effects of previous dam-removal projects. 

However, despite the relatively large number of dam removals, the science of measuring responses and 

assessing effectiveness is still a relatively young discipline. A recent working group tasked with 

synthesizing dam-removal science at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) John Wesley Powell Center 

for Analysis and Synthesis (http://go.usa.gov/xcyKJ) began with a literature review of dam removal 

science. The result of this effort was turned into a bibliographic relational database (Bellmore and 

others, 2015). When compared with the American Rivers database of the total known dam removals, the 

Bellmore and others (2015) effort identified less than 10 percent of all dam removals have empirical

data-collection studies (that is, data collected before and after, or just after dam removal) associated 

with them (Bellmore and others, in press). 

The studies that were identified cover a broad array of physical, biological, and ecological 

attributes; thus, for any one topic (for example, fish response, sediment dispersal), the number of damremoval studies is an even smaller fraction of the total number of projects. Although dam removal is a 

relatively new means of river management, scientists continue to develop a generalized understanding 

and predictive models of the physical and ecological implications and outcomes of dam removal (Grant 

and Lewis, 2015; O’Connor and others, 2015; Magilligan and others, 2016; Bellmore and others, in 

press). The goal of this report is to describe an online visualization tool describing the status and trends 

of dam removal for the Bellmore and others (2015) database. Easy and broad access to the information 

in the Bellmore and others (2015) database would enable access to important data and information 

sources for scientists working on dam removal. Additionally, it would become an important resource for 

decision makers, stakeholders, and the public. The opportunity is available to create a valuable 

clearinghouse of scientific information about dam removal by curating the existing scientific literature 

on dam removal, providing a singular source of information that is routinely updated, as well as linking 

to other sources of geospatial information. For this initial clearinghouse version to be a sustainable, 

long-term tool, it needed to grow into a larger, enterprise-scale resource. This need became the basis for 

a funded project in 2015 through the USGS Community for Data Integration (CDI) 

(http://go.usa.gov/xcy8V). 

Architectural Concept

This report describes the primary products from the CDI project, including the evolving National 

Dam Removal Science Database (NDRSD) and the Dam Removal Information Portal (DRIP), the 

visualization and analysis engine built on that data system (fig. 1). The report also serves as a prototype 

for the new product review processes at the USGS. As a resource, DRIP is intended as a means for 

distributing data and software described here and made available online.

The architecture that developed through the CDI project is a set of loosely coupled components 

that leverage existing capabilities in the USGS ScienceBase system and introduce a number of new 

technologies. In order to achieve the goals of the NDRSD and to build a sustainable system, we built the 

components of the system into a larger research infrastructure being developed for a USGS 

biogeography program called the Biogeographic Information System. Although this is still under 

development, we describe the concepts and areas of intersection with that larger system in the following 

sections.
4 

Figure 1. Component architecture of the National Dam Removal Science Database, showing its underlying 

components (A) presented at https://www.sciencebase.gov/drip (B) using an Application Programming Interface 

(API).
5 

National Dam Removal Science Database

The USGS National Dam Removal Science Database (NDRSD) is a dynamic collection of 

scientific information related to dams that have been removed (Wieferich, Bristol, and others, 2016). 

Most of these dam removals were in the United States, but information also exists from dam removals 

in other countries. This dynamic data system consists of several related components (table 1) and is a 

derivative of the USGS Dam Removal Science Database released in 2015. The NDRSD is structured as 

a distributed data system, consisting of several constituent registries and datasets (Wieferich, 2016a, 

2016b, 2016c; Wieferich and Vittum, 2016; Wieferich, Vittum, and Craig, 2016), each with their own 

particular focus and structure along with different methods for ongoing maintenance and growth. The 

following sections describe each of the components of the NDRSD, providing an overview of the 

architectural strategy employed, the methods used to transform data from original sources, and some 

future planning and goals for some of the components. 

The NDRSD is registered in ScienceBase as a logical item that describes its constituent data 

components. It is assigned a Digital Object Identifier (http://doi.org/10.5066/F7QR4V7Q) for citation 

purposes so that it can be referenced and used by others for other purposes. From a data release 

standpoint in the USGS, the NDRSD represents a new type of database entity—a distributed data 

system with diverse constituent parts with their own structures and management methods. 

Table 1. Information sources used for the dam-removal information in the National Dam Removal Science 

Database.

[Source: Four different versions of the NID were used for this task. The NID was not set up to store information about dam 

removals, but when dams are removed they are often removed from the NID. Using multiple versions of the NID allowed us 

to identify some removed dams. Abbreviations: AGAP, Aquatic Gap Analysis Program; NHDPlusV2, National 

Hydrography Dataset Plus Version 2; NID, National Inventory of Dams; NWIS, National Water Information System; USGS, 

U.S. Geological Survey]

Dataset Contribution Details Source

USGS Dam Removal 

Science Database

Primary Summaries of documented damremoval science, dam characteristics, 

dam-removal date. 

http://doi.org/10.5066/F7K935KT,

American Rivers dam 

removal database

Primary Comprehensive list of U.S. dam 

removals, with coordinates, date of 

removal, and dam height when 

available.

http://www.americanrivers.org,

NHDPlusV2 Supporting Linkage to hydrologic information 

from NHDPlus, in addition to other 

physical and biological data 

referenced to NHDPlus (for example, 

NWIS, AGAP, species distribution 

models). 

Ftp://ftp.horizonsystems.com/HNDplus/NHDPlusV

21/Data. 

NID1 Supporting Information about removed dams (for 

example, coordinates, size, reservoir 

storage).

http://nid.usace.army.mil/cm_apex/f?

p=838:12. 
6 

Dam Removals

The initial set of dam removals comes from two contributing datasets: (1) the USGS Dam 

Removal Science Database of Bellmore and others (2015) and (2) the American Rivers Dam Removal 

Database. Both sources are joined in a new capability being developed in ScienceBase called the Spatial 

Feature Registry—a comprehensive collection of basic information on spatial features of interest to 

science. Each dam is registered in the Spatial Feature Registry where it is provided a persistent 

Universal Resource Identifier (URI) used as a key in other parts of the data system to enable consistent 

reference to information about the dam and its removal circumstances. This could include references to 

scientific studies on a particular dam, or the particular stream segment associated with the location of a 

dam in the USGS National Hydrography Database Plus Version 2 (NHDPlusV2). In this way, items in 

the Spatial Feature Registry allow a logical model to be developed where information from multiple 

sources is tied together in a usable and high-quality geospatial database divided into subsets for 

removed dams and visualized in DRIP and other portals (fig. 1). 

Because we were gathering information from multiple sources, we set out to verify the spatial 

location of each dam removal. In some cases, different coordinate systems were used for the spatial 

location, whereas in other cases precise dam location information was absent. Several steps were taken 

to verify the spatial location of each removed dam. When spatial information was missing altogether, or 

if it was only accurate to a given river or watershed, we searched both archival aerial imagery (National 

Agriculture Imagery Program [NAIP] and Google EarthTM) and the literature to identify the location of 

the dam. If possible, we examined imagery from before and after dam removal in this step.

Concurrently with spatial verification, each removed dam was linked to the NHDPlusV2 using 

linear referencing (Environmental Systems Research Institute, 2003; Simley and Doumbouya, 2012). 

This helped resolve the accuracy about the dam spatial coordinates, as well as offering the potential for 

additional functionality when used with other geospatial tools (see, for example, Welty and others, 

2015; Magilligan and others, 2016). Linking removed dams to stream segments of the NHDPlusV2 

allows future developments of DRIP to access much hydrologic (for example, flow, basin area), 

landscape (for example, land use, land cover), and biological information (for example, fish samples, 

fish models) that also are referenced to the NHDPlusV2. All these additional data assets are valuable to 

users trying to understand and study previous and planned removals. 

Supplemental sources also were used to supply missing information. The NID was used in a 

supporting role to provide information on location, size, and reservoir storage when this information 

was missing. Four concurrent versions of the NID (1994, 2007, 2009, and 2013) were used to search for 

dams that were removed from the list of dams in the NID because they were actually removed on the 

ground. This allowed us to cross-reference removed dams to their original NID identification codes, as 

well as to supply missing information about the structure and characteristics of each dam (for example, 

dam height) and associated reservoir (for example, reservoir area).

Each of these steps resulted in the information contained within the dam-removal items in the 

Spatial Feature Registry. We used a combination of identifiers, tags, description fields, and links to 

collect foundational information and source attribution on dam removals in the items. Each of the two 

types of dams (that is, those removed and studied, as well as those just removed but lacking associated 

studies) were expressed as logical ScienceBase items that reference a specific Application Programming 

Interface (API) query used to assemble them as datasets. These items are stored in the Data Reference 

Library, another developing aspect of ScienceBase. We will continue to refine how the ScienceBase 

item model is used to store this information as we experiment with different uses and queries. 
7 

National Dam Removal Science Database Dam Removals

The core set of information in the NDRSD consists of those dam removals with associated

scientific literature and government reports describing scientific monitoring and research. We began 

with the curated set of dam removals from the Bellmore and others (2015) database. These dam 

removals make up a dynamic subset from the Spatial Feature Registry identified with a DOI tied to a 

logical collection in ScienceBase for citation purposes (http://doi.org/10.5066/F77P8WGR). Currently

(2016), these spatial feature details are accessed using the ScienceBase API by querying on the original 

identifier (“damAccessionNumber”) assigned to the items. In the future, we will query the subset based 

on the direct association made between a dam-removal citation and a registered dam removal 

ScienceBase item such that the logical query will be, “retrieve all dam removals that have been 

associated with a reviewed dam removal publication.” 

American Rivers Dam Removals

The American Rivers database provides a comprehensive inventory of U.S. dam removals, 

including some basic attributes such as location coordinates, year removed, and dam height for about 75 

percent of cases. Project partners at American Rivers provided database records about the dams 

contained in their dam-removal database, which is the most comprehensive source of information about 

dam-removal projects in the United States (American Rivers, 2014). Since 1999, American Rivers has 

annually collected the data from various sources, including surveys of dam-removal practitioners, State 

and Federal agency staff, and media (for example, books, newspaper articles). Although the database 

may under-represent the actual number of dams that have been removed (because of incomplete 

historical knowledge, lack of formal tracking by State and Federal agencies, or disparities among States 

regarding what constitutes a dam), the American Rivers database is widely acknowledged as the most 

complete and up-to-date source of information on the total number of dams that have been removed in 

the United States. The number of dam removals that have associated scientific studies is a subset of the 

American Rivers dam-removal database, as about 9 percent of all dam removals had scientific products 

that fit the search criteria that generated the original USGS Dam Removal Science Database (Bellmore 

and others, in press). 

Dam removals by American Rivers also can be selected from the Spatial Feature Registry using 

a ScienceBase API. Although they are sourced from a spreadsheet provided by American Rivers, the 

final records in ScienceBase have been sufficiently modified with spatial rectification, linking to the 

NHD, and other procedures to be considered inherent to the Spatial Feature Registry. Original American 

Rivers sourced dam removals are identified with a separate DOI as a logical collection in ScienceBase 

for citation purposes (http://doi.org/10.5066/F7CF9N6G).

Dam-Removal References

Another important component of DRIP is a set of citations to scientific literature and report 

sources that contains empirical information about the outcomes of dam removal. This registry of damremoval science citations initially was derived directly from a database developed by Bellmore and 

others (2015) at the USGS John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis for a working group 

synthesizing the science of dam removal. The database was generated from an extensive literature 

review of dam-removal studies published through December 31, 2014. Studies were located by using 

bibliographic search services (that is, Web of Science, Google ScholarTM, and the U.S. Geological 

Survey Publication Warehouse) and search terms related to dam removal (for details, see Bellmore and 

others, in press). Once a candidate pool of citations was located, obviously irrelevant citations (for 

example, those mentioning beaver dams), or those generally discussing dam removal but not containing 
8 

empirical information, were identified and excluded. The remaining 179 studies on U.S. and 

international dam removals were read by subject-matter experts and attributes from each study were 

registered in a relational database. The tables in that database contained information on the 

bibliographic citations, the dams, study design, and the study results. Study results included the different 

kinds of metrics studied, selected from a list of available metrics within physical, biological, and waterquality categories. 

For use in DRIP, the bibliographic information of dam-removal studies was integrated in the 

Research Reference Library in ScienceBase, another reference collection of resources similar in utility 

to the Spatial Feature Registry. The citation registry provides the following concepts:

• Persistent resource identifier, supporting items with and without DOIs, for linked scientific 

provenance in DRIP to properties derived from the literature such as the study design 

parameters; 

• Links to online version of reports and articles; 

• Storage location for copies of reports and manuscripts when links are not sufficient or reliable 

and storage is allowed under copyright; and

• Single point of reference for all citations from the dam-removal science database. 

In this initial instance of the NDRSD, the references on dam removals are all contained in one 

logical container that was assigned a DOI for citation purposes as a constituent of the distributed data 

system (http://doi.org/10.5066/F73X84QZ). In the future, as we refine the data architecture of the 

system, we will shift to a dynamic query of registered citations, based on their provenance, as source 

material for identified dam removals and associated study details.

Dam-Removal Properties and Studies

The original relational database from Bellmore and others (2015) contains curated information 

on the characteristics of the dams, the design of scientific monitoring or research studies, and the study 

results (Bellmore and others, in press). These attributes, extracted from scientific literature and reports,

form the core of the data system that supports the analysis and visualization design for DRIP. A simple 

data structure linking properties with values and connected to their provenance is the ultimate objective 

for this part of the architecture. In the short term, we incorporated the data attributes into simple 

comma-separated text tables (CSV), but went the extra step of registering the variables as terms in a 

vocabulary around which additional capability can be built in the future (see section, “Dam-Removal 

Concepts”).

The dam-removal characteristics were organized in two tables that are linked to the system 

through URIs from the Spatial Feature Registry and (or) the Research Reference Library. The tables are 

stored in in the Data Reference Library in ScienceBase items that contain the data, describe their 

processing, provide metadata, and are individually citable with DOIs:

• Dam Removal Properties (http://doi.org/10.5066/F7VH5KXK)—Provides additional details 

about the dam-removal projects and circumstances that could not currently (2016) be 

accommodated in the dam-removal items themselves. 

• Dam Removal Study Results and Design Details (http://doi.org/10.5066/F7057D1D)—Provides 

details extracted from literature about the design of the dam-removal scientific projects and 

monitoring and research conducted as part of the projects. 
9 

Dam-Removal Concepts

The two data tables, described in the section “Dam-Removal Properties and Studies,” contain 

nearly 100 different attributes describing the characteristics of dams and the dam-removal projects. 

These concepts are the result of an intensive scientific synthesis across multiple disciplines and 

represent a meta-knowledge resource for understanding the science of dam removal and helping to 

inform societal and management decisions in the future. The concepts were first described explicitly as 

data attributes in the metadata for the Bellmore and others (2015) database. For the purposes of the 

NDRSD, the concepts and definitions from the original metadata were used to establish a vocabulary 

within the ScienceBase vocabulary system. This creates a dynamic resource available using persistent 

URLs in human- and machine-readable forms 

(https://www.sciencebase.gov/vocab/vocabulary/DamRemoval).

Each concept also is accessible at a unique persistent address within the vocabulary. These URIs 

were used as the column headers in the text files for the two major data tables of the NDRSD. This is an 

initial step toward a linked data architecture (Berners-Lee, 2006) that will comprise one of the next steps 

in this project. The current vocabulary implementation is limited in that it provides only the persistently 

identified concepts in a usable way along with individual code lists for specific attributes. It lacks 

sophistication as a more robust property registry where specific parameters of each concept would be 

managed in a data representation, but it provides a start for the development process described further in 

section, “Potential Future Directions and Additional Linkages to Other Resources.” 

Dam Removal Information Portal

The Dam Removal Information Portal is a Web site (https://www.sciencebase.gov/drip) that 

serves information about the scientific studies associated with dam-removal projects (fig. 1). It is a 

visualization tool, including a map and interactive charts, of a dam-removal literature review designed 

and developed by a working group at the USGS John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis 

(Bellmore and others, 2015). Stored in a relational database, the literature review was focused on studies 

that contained empirical information about the physical, biological, and water-quality aspects of river 

ecosystem response to dam removal. The Bellmore and others (2015) Dam Removal Science Database 

was structured as a number of related tables that contained attribute information about the demographics 

(location, height, year built, year removed), the study design (for example, before-after, before-aftercontrol-impact), and the metrics measured in each study.

The original Bellmore and others (2015) relational database was structured by Wieferich, Lohre,

and others (2016) into a distributed data system—the National Dam Removal Science Database—

described in section, “National Dam Removal Science Database.” The components of that database 

were expressed as tables within a CartoDB instance to provide the underlying data for the visualization 

and analysis tools in DRIP. CartoDB is a cloud-based data system that provides an API and highly 

performing query features that are well suited to the initial instance of the DRIP tool.

The goal of developing DRIP was to not only provide a tool for indexing and visualizing the 

scientific studies associated with dam removals, but also to provide additional functionality, including 

linkages to other USGS cyber infrastructure and data. An additional goal, still in development, was to 

create a tool for automatically locating and indexing information about new scientific studies as they 

become available. In this way, DRIP would become a valuable resource for the scientific community 

studying dam removals. 
10 

Visualization, Analysis, and Data Access Portal—Front End of the Dam Removal Information Portal 

(DRIP)

The DRIP application consists of three major components: 

1. Source data managed for consistency of scientific provenance and traceability within 

ScienceBase,

2. A derivative database assembled from source data through code in a CartoDB database and 

map view, and 

3. A web application from source code that provides the DRIP portal using the CartoDB API. 

The source data, in various forms from data files to ScienceBase item collections (table 1) comprise the 

National Dam Removal Science Database. The other two components are described here. 

The first prototype application for the DRIP concept was developed through a partnership 

between USGS and the GreenInfo Network along with a subcontract to AppGeo, a software 

development and consulting firm. A major design concept in the development of the application was the 

use of an “analytics panel” to aid in the exploration of the database and rapid analysis of the dynamics 

of dam-removal science in terms of the types of studies conducted relative to the characteristics of the 

dams and removal projects. This led the AppGeo developers to experiment with CartoDB, a commercial 

online service supporting robust, large-scale spatial analytics. The current size of the National Dam 

Removal Science Database and supporting data elements is well within the basic service offered by 

CartoDB, and the USGS team opted to maintain a derivative assembly of the data in that format for the 

initial release. Future iterations will examine other options over time, but the basic capability will be 

maintained in an online application that is able to run completely through an API connection to a 

backend service.

The DRIP web application at https://www.sciencebase.gov/drip/ is written in basic Hypertext 

Markup Language (HTML) and JavaScript using numerous open-code libraries documented in the 

source code. Data are provided through the CartoDB map and SQL (Structured Query Language) APIs 

to control the map and chart/table views, respectively. The use of CartoDB enables many aspects of the 

DRIP application, including the map interaction, to be managed directly through the CartoDB interface 

without changes to the web application source code. Changes to the source code are tracked through a 

project-management system (myUSGS JIRA) used by the USGS team, and source code is maintained in 

myUSGS Bitbucket Server. The DRIP application is deployed to USGS Web infrastructure from source 

code, following all necessary security scanning procedures. The DRIP front end will be updated over 

time as we incorporate additional data, explore new analytical and visualization features, and receive 

feedback from users. The DRIP application (source code and web instance) is registered as a software 

item in ScienceBase with a DOI for citation (http://doi.org/10.5066/F7M043HP).
11 

Potential Future Directions and Additional Linkages to Other Resources

The National Dam Removal Science Database and the Dam Removal Information Portal are 

both areas of active development. The organization of the database as a living, distributed data system 

provided opportunities to continue development of the research infrastructure known as the 

Biogeographic Information System, an area of active development within the USGS Core Science 

Analytics, Synthesis and Libraries Program. This report serves as a vehicle to obtain initial critical 

review of the concepts and architecture and the formal release of the data and software developed to 

date. Potential future work includes refining the data architecture to a more robust linked open data 

structure, developing methods for ongoing updates to the NDRSD assisted by text and data-mining 

techniques, and establishing linkages to additional structured data sources that can aid in analysis. 

Linked Open Data

The database structure for the NDRSD and its central vocabulary of concepts could benefit from 

a more robust instantiation of linked data methods. This work would begin with a more robust 

implementation of the property registry to include the full set of parameters currently (2016) contained 

in metadata (for example, primitive data types, range of values, additional constraints). Individual 

concepts and groups of concepts also would be linked to logical and coded algorithms used in extracting 

or deriving those concepts from literature sources and structured data, including any transformations 

necessary to align with the target data model of the NDRSD. We would experiment with and implement 

linked data technologies within the ScienceBase framework to enable advanced query methods and 

utilities, and we would set up automated methods for distributing new data to the CartoDB platform or 

other future distribution and use instances. 

Knowledge Assembly Engine

The scientific synthesis and meta-analysis work conducted by the USGS Powell Center damremoval working group provided a powerful process framework for characterizing the types of scientific 

studies conducted on or associated with dam-removal projects. The team of research scientists involved 

with discovering applicable studies and then extracting usable information from the text provides a 

pattern that can be used in the creation of a software algorithm-assisted process. We have begun 

experimentation towards this goal, in the form of a Knowledge Assembly Engine that we hope will 

serve to scale up the ability to extract information into the Dam Removal Science Database and into 

other similar structured knowledge stores. We are modeling this work on the DeepDive project at 

Stanford University (http://deepdive.stanford.edu) and on specific work done by Shanan Peters and 

colleagues on the Paleobiology Database (Peters and others, 2014), an application originating within 

another science domain but very similar in underlying principles to our proposed application. 
12 

Monitoring Project and Protocol Registry

In developing the concept for a living information resource in DRIP, we also identified the 

potential for creating an additional resource through providing relevant links to existing research and 

monitoring protocols that could be applicable for future dam-removal studies. These resources, 

providing the details of commonly used research and monitoring protocols, currently (2016) are being 

collected in a number of online resources. One such example is the Pacific Northwest Area Monitoring 

Partnership (PNAMP; http://www.pnamp.org), an online forum that facilitates collaboration and 

coordination around aquatic monitoring topics. A feature of PNAMP is the hosting and storage of 

monitoring resources and tools for use by practitioners. Storing commonly used protocols for damremoval monitoring could be an important resource in future versions of DRIP. 

Acknowledgments

The creation of DRIP was supported by funding from the USGS John Wesley Powell Center, the 

USGS Community for Data Integration, and Bureau of Reclamation Research and Development Office. 

We thank members of the dam removal working group at the USGS Powell Center for their synthesis 

efforts and for providing technical support. Thanks to the USGS peer reviewers who provided 

comments that improved this report. To all of those who have provided data, scientific studies, and 

maintained databases on dams that are mentioned in this report, we are grateful for your efforts. 

References Cited

American Rivers, 2014, Map of U.S. dams removed since 1916: American Rivers dam removal 

database, accessed July 7, 2016, at https://www.americanrivers.org/threats-solutions/restoringdamaged-rivers/dam-removal-map.

Bellmore, J.R., Duda, J.J., Craig, L.S., Greene, S.L., Torgersen, C.E., Collins, M.J., and Vittum, K.M., 

In Press, Status and trends of dam removal research in the US: WIREs Water. 

http://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1164. 

Bellmore, J.R., Vittum, K.M., Duda, J.J., and Greene, S., 2015, USGS dam removal science database:

U.S. Geological Survey data release, http://doi.org/10.5066/F7K935KT. 

Berners-Lee, T., 2006, Linked data, design issues: Web site, accessed May 31, 2016, at

https://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/LinkedData.html.

Bunn, S.E., and Arthington, A.H., 2002, Basic principles and ecological consequences of altered flow 

regimes for aquatic biodiversity: Environmental Management, v. 30, p. 492–507. 

Ellis, L.E., and Jones, N.E., 2013, Longitudinal trends in regulated rivers: a review and synthesis within 

the context of the serial discontinuity concept: Environmental Reviews, v. 21, p. 136–148. 

http://doi.org/10.1139/er-2012-0064. 

Environmental Systems Research Institute, 2003, Linear referencing in ArcGISTM—Practical 

considerations for the development of an enterprise-wide GIS: Redlands, California, Environmental 

Systems Research Institute, technical paper. 

Graf, W.L., 1993, Landscapes, commodities, and ecosystems—The relationship between policy and 

science for American Rivers, in Water and Science Technology Board, National Research Council, 

eds., Sustaining our water resources: Washington, D.C., The National Academies Press.

Grant, G.E., and Lewis, S.L., 2015, The remains of the dam—What have we learned from 15 years of 

US dam removals?, in Engineering Geology for Society and Territory—Volume 3: Cham, 

Switzerland, Springer International Publishing, 8 p. 
13 

Ligon, F.K., Dietrich, W.E., and Trush, W.J., 1995, Downstream ecological effects of dams—A 

geomorphic perspective: Bioscience, v. 45, p. 183–192, http://doi.org/10.5066/F7QR4V7Q 

10.2307/1312557.

Magilligan, F.J., Graber, B.E., Nislow, K.H., Chipman, J.W., Sneddon, C.S., and Fox, C.A., 2016, River 

restoration by dam removal—Enhancing connectivity at watershed scales: Elementa, v. 4, p. 000108, 

http://doi.org/10.5066/F7QR4V7Q 10.12952/journal.elemeenta.000108. 

Magilligan, F.J., and Nislow, K.H., 2005, Changes in hydrologic regime by dams: Geomorphology, v. 

71, p. 61–78, http://doi.org/10.5066/F7QR4V7Q 10.1016/j.geomorph.2004.08.017. 

Nilsson, C., and Berggren, K., 2000, Alterations of riparian ecosystems caused by river regulation: 

BioScience, v. 50, p. 783–792, http://doi.org/10.5066/F7QR4V7Q 10.1641/0006-

3568(2000)050[0783:aorecb]2.0.co;2. 

O’Connor, J.E., Duda, J.J., and Grant, G.E., 2015, 1000 dams down and counting: Science, v. 348, p. 

496–497. 

Peters, S.E., Zhang, C., Livny, M., and Ré, C., 2014, A machine reading system for assembling 

synthetic paleontological databases: PLoS ONE, v. 9, no. 12, p. e113523, 

http://doi.org/10.5066/F7QR4V7Q 10.1371/journal.pone.0113523. 

Petts, G.E., 1984, Impounded rivers—Perspectives for ecological management: New York, Wiley, 

1984, 326 p. 

Poff, N.L., Olden, J.D., Merritt, D.M., and Pepin, D.M., 2007, Homogenization of regional river 

dynamics by dams and global biodiversity implications: Proceedings of the National Academy of 

Sciences, v. 104, p. 5,732–5,737, http://doi.org/10.5066/F7QR4V7Q 10.1073/pnas.0609812104. 

Poff, N.L., and Zimmerman, J.K.H., 2010, Ecological responses to altered flow regimes—A literature 

review to inform the science and management of environmental flows: Freshwater Biology, v. 55, p. 

194–205, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2009.02272.x. 

Simley, Jeffrey, and Doumbouya, Ariel, 2012, National hydrography dataset—Linear referencing: U.S. 

Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2012–3068, 2 p. 

Smith, S.V., Renwick, W.H., Bartley, J.D., and Buddemeier, R.W., 2002, Distribution and significance 

of small, artificial water bodies across the United States landscape: Science of the Total Environment, 

v. 299, p. 21–26. 

Stanley, E.H., and Doyle, M.W., 2003, Trading off—The ecological effects of dam removal: Frontiers 

in Ecology and the Environment, v. 1, p. 15–22, http://doi.org/10.5066/F7QR4V7Q 10.2307/3867960. 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2013, CorpsMap: National Inventory of Dams, accessed on July 7, 

2016, at http://nid.usace.army.mil/cm_apex/f?p=838:12. 

Ward, W., and Stanford, J.A., 1995, The serial discontinuity concept: extending the model to floodplain 

rivers: Regulated Rivers—Research and Management, v. 10, p. 159–168. 

Welty, E.Z., Torgersen, C.E., Brenkman, S.J., Duda, J.J., and Armstrong, J.B., 2015, Multiscale analysis 

of river networks using the R package linbin: North American Journal of Fisheries Management, v. 

35, p. 802–809, http://doi.org/10.1080/02755947.2015.1044764. 

Wieferich, D.J., 2016a, Dam removal properties—A constituent dataset of the National Dam Removal 

Science Database: U.S. Geological Survey data release, http://doi.org/10.5066/F7VH5KXK. 

Wieferich, D.J., 2016b, Dam removal study results and design details—A constituent dataset of the 

National Dam Removal Science Database: U.S. Geological Survey data release, 

http://doi.org/10.5066/F7057D1D. 

Wieferich, D.J., ed., 2016c, Dam removal science database citations—A constituent dataset of the 

National Dam Removal Science Database: U.S. Geological Survey data release,

http://doi.org/10.5066/F73X84QZ. 
14 

Wieferich, D.J., Bristol, R.S., Bellmore, J.R., Vittum, K.M., Duda, J., and Craig, L., 2016, National 

Dam Removal Science Database: U.S. Geological Survey data release, 

http://doi.org/10.5066/F7QR4V7Q. 

Wieferich, D.J., Lohre, B., Brown, D., Duda, J., Bristol, R.S., Hutchison, V.B., Vittum, K.M., Bellmore, 

J.R., Warrick, J., and Courter, T., 2016, Dam Removal Information Portal (DRIP): U.S. Geological 

Survey software release, http://doi.org/10.5066/F7M043HP. 

Wieferich, D.J., and Vittum, K., 2016, National Dam Removal Science Database dam removals—A 

constituent dataset of the National Dam Removal Science Database: U.S. Geological Survey data 

release, http://doi.org/10.5066/F77P8WGR. 

Wieferich, D.J., Vittum, K., and Craig, L., 2016, American Rivers dam removals—A constituent dataset 

of the National Dam Removal Science Database: U.S. Geological Survey data release, 

http://doi.org/10.5066/F7CF9N6G. 

World Commission on Dams, 2000, Dams and development—A new framework for decision-making: 

London, United Kingdom, and Sterling, Virginia, United States, Earthscan Publications, Limited, The 

Report of the World Commission on Dams, 404 p. 

Publishing support provided by the U.S. Geological Survey

Science Publishing Network, Tacoma Publishing Service Center

For more information concerning the research in this report, contact the

 Director, Western Fisheries Research Center

U.S. Geological Survey

6505 NE 65th Street

Seattle, Washington 98115 

http://wfrc.usgs.gov/
Duda and others—Dam Removal Information Portal (DRIP)—Open-File Report 2016–1132

ISSN 2331-1258 (online)

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20161132