Romania removes first dam to restore river flow
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In Argeș county, Romania, Asociația Aqua Crisius recently demolished the Pojarna dam on the Doamnei River, restoring 13.1 kilometers of river flow.
The organization, supported by the Open Rivers Programme, removed the structure to allow fish migration and sediment flow. The demolition has sparked debate among locals, with some praising the initiative and others raising concerns about potential flooding or the dam’s historical value.
Aqua Crisius explained it focuses on removing abandoned structures, not operational ones, and that leaving the dam to decay could have created risks. The organization also used materials from the dam to create a monument commemorating the area’s past logging industry and preserving local memory. Some residents disputed the claim that the dam blocked fish passage, saying the structure was already broken and didn’t impede them.
More than 600 dams and weirs have been removed from rivers across Europe in recent years. In 2025 alone, 603 barriers were eliminated, reconnecting over 3,740 kilometers of rivers and boosting climate resilience. Romania has over 2,000 dams, many of which are small, abandoned structures posing potential hazards.
