Indigenous Lands Larger than Rhode Island Flooded by Dams

New research reveals that dams have inundated over a million acres of tribal lands, an expanse surpassing the size of Rhode Island. This adds to the long history of land confiscation and enforced relocation of Indigenous communities by settler colonials and the US government. Indigenous peoples have historically regarded land as the cornerstone of their culture, governance, and wealth.

Simultaneously, land usurpation has been systematically employed to fragment and weaken Indigenous societies by denying them access to clean water, customary food sources, spiritual ties, and economic prospects. The groundbreaking study, presented in the journal Environmental Research Letters, represents the inaugural effort to quantify the land losses Indigenous Americans endured due to dam constructions, which reshaped American rivers and lakes for water storage, redirection, and management.

Through the juxtaposition of geospatial data of tribal territories with reservoirs formed by roughly 7,900 significant dams, scholars from Penn State and Arizona University ascertained that about 1.13 million acres of tribal lands – larger than the combined area of the Great Smoky Mountains, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain national parks – now lie submerged. This estimate may still be conservative, given the unavailability of data regarding innumerable smaller dams.

Furthermore, the inundation caused by dams comes atop the massive 2 billion acres, equivalent to 97% of tribal lands, seized through various means such as treaties, legislation, acquisitions, force, and manipulation since European settlers first landed over half a millennium ago.

“This is the first study to quantify tribal land flooded by dams, which is an overlooked and additional source of Native land dispossession,” said the lead author Heather Randell, assistant professor of rural sociology and demography at Penn State University. “There was a lot of immediate trauma caused by the flooding and many long term impacts for tribal members that continue today.”

The US boasts more than 90,000 dams that are at least 6 feet tall, with 2% of these being megadams, soaring over 100 feet as per data from the Army Corps of Engineers. A surge in the construction of massive, federally-managed dams was seen in the mid-20th century during a distinct climatic period. Iconic structures like the Hoover dam, which birthed Lake Mead, were designed with multifaceted roles, such as flood mitigation, power generation, and rerouting water for agricultural use.

However, dams have not been without consequences. Existing research reveals that globally, dams have led to the displacement of up to 80 million individuals. Furthermore, an estimated 472 million people downstream, including numerous Indigenous Americans from regions like Oregon, Oklahoma, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Arizona, have experienced disruptions in their familial and professional lives. Among the detrimental effects are inundated residences and agricultural lands, and the substantial reduction of crucial food sources, exemplified by diminished salmon numbers.

The research highlights that 139 dams have submerged lands across 56 federal reservations. Simultaneously, another 287 dams have inundated lands within 19 Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Areas (OTSAs). These OTSAs are regions in contemporary Oklahoma designated for tribes during times of coerced relocations.

The extent of submerged lands differed from one dam to another, averaging at about 3% of the entire reservation area. For instance, in New York, the Kinzua dam led to nearly a third of the Allegany Reservation being submerged. Similarly, the Pick-Sloan Plan, a federal initiative in the Missouri River basin for flood prevention and economic growth, encompassed five sizable dams. These dams submerged more than 350,000 acres across seven reservations in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska.

“In light of recent legislation to address ageing infrastructure in the US, as well as increasing risks to dam function and safety caused by climate change and growing Native land back movement, dams that impact tribal land should be prioritized for removal,” Randell said.

The 2021 Infrastructure Act has set aside $800 million for dam removal. Additionally, the 21st Century Dams Act, if passed, could contribute a further $7.5 billion towards this cause.

Randell emphasizes the importance of consulting with tribal communities, a step that was often overlooked during the initial construction of many dams. In situations where removing a dam isn’t the favored or feasible choice, other solutions might involve transferring ownership to tribes or allocating funds for dam refurbishments and enhancements.