Mitigation of low-head dams dubbed as “drowning machines” continues in Iowa

Since the 1800s, low-head dams have been a part of Iowa’s inland rivers. According to the organization Iowa Rivers Revival (IRR), at one time there were 174 low-head dams in 57 of the state’s 99 counties.
These low-head dams were used to help support grist, woolen and sawmills in the 19th century, and then in the early 1900s, the larger ones were converted for hydroelectricity. Then during the depression era, the U.S. government’s Civilian Conservation Corps gave temporary jobs to unemployed civilians, who constructed dams for recreational improvements. 
Over the years, these low-head dams have been dubbed “drowning machines.”

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