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DAM REMOVAL 259 regarding successional stages in the floodplain forest following drawdown. These predictions will extend over several decades and will be made using the US Fish and Wildlife Service's FORFLO floodplain forest model. This model predicts successional stages for floodplain forest following hydrological changes, and has been applied successfully to hydrological alteration projects in Louisiana, Florida and South Carolina (Pearlstine et al., 1985). The results from this environmental assessment of alternatives for dam removal and river restoration or reservoir retention and management will be utilized by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and combined with their economic analysis of the alternatives to formulate recommendations on the fate of Rodman Dam. This environmental assessment approach, although not in sufficient detail to function as an EIS, does provide the necessary environmental information on which to formulate a decision on dam removal. DISCUSSION The large number of dams either deemed unsafe through inspections or up for hydroelectric relicensing by the FERC has created an unprecedented opportunity for re-examining the purpose and fate of these dams. The original purpose for which many of the older dams were constructed has changed or been altered by current economic conditions. Many dams were constructed before passage of the National Environmental Policy Act, and environmental concerns were less important at their time of construction than they are today. In many cases, the analysis of possible fates for these dams includes the possibility for dam removal and restoration of the impounded stream or river. Many environmentalists feel that decisions for removal of the Edwards Dam on the Kennebec River in Maine and the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams on the Elwha River in Washington would signal a unparalleled change in philosophy regarding the integrity of river ecosystems. A review of past dam removals in this country is instructive in understanding how dam removal should be assessed as an alternative. As discussed earlier in this paper, sediment transport problems can be significant if a dam is removed. However, several past and proposed dam removals have utilized approaches to assess and minimize sediment transport. Hydrological, hydraulic and sediment transport modelling can be utilized in conjunction with sediment surveys in the reservoir to assess the potential for sediment transport problems if the dam is removed. Dam removal procedures can be developed to minimize sediment transport, such as utilizing sediment traps and hydraulic routing. Biological considerations are equally important in assessing whether a dam should be removed and are sometimes the underlying justification for support of dam removal. In addition to impacts on fish, bird communities often change following impoundment of the river, and wildlife populations are often affected as well. Threatened and endangered species are often also a consideration. The loss of floodplain wetlands is frequently a significant impact resulting from impounding a river. The possibility for dam removal to restore these biological attributes should be assessed when considering the fate of a dam. Proposed dam removals are usually quite controversial, making a unified decision difficult. Further, dam removal is sometimes portrayed as a very simple process, whereby all that needs to be done is to open up the dam and let nature heal itself. A comprehensive environmental assessment of dam removal and reservoir retention alternatives is necessary to overcome both the often simplistic view of dam removal and to estab- lish a more complete understanding of both restoration and retention alternatives. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Numerous individuals have been involved in both designing the environmental assessment approach utilized for Rodman Dam and in completing the research efforts comprising the assessment. Among the large number of multidisciplinary scientists and engineers involved in this project, I thank especially Dick Galantowicz, Karen Warr, Judy Bryan, Gary Greenberg, Andy Abraham, Don Rao, Price Robison, Awes Karama, Bob Freeman, Tom Ziegler, Tony Miller, Larry Danek, Mike Tomlinson, Ming Lee, Frank