Complex sentence: The slope of fall zones on rivers played a role in settlement patterns, e.g., fall lines are useful for hydroelectric dams such as Rochester, New York (Niagara Escarpment) and Columbia, South Carolina (Atlantic Seaboard fall line).
Split into simpler sentences: The slope of fall zones on rivers played a role in settlement patterns. For example, fall lines proved useful for hydroelectric dams such as at Rochester, New York (on the Niagara Escarpment) and Columbia, South Carolina (on the Atlantic Seaboard fall line).