The future of the Craggy Dam, on the French Broad River in Woodfin, NC, carries meaningful financial, ecological, and community implications. The Dam’s owner, Buncombe County Municipal Sewerage Department (MSD), is considering major investments in the 120-year-old Craggy Dam, but an alternative exists; removal of the Craggy Dam to set the French Broad River free.
A broad coalition of local, regional, and national organizations, including American Rivers, MountainTrue/French Broad Riverkeeper, RiverLink, Sierra Club, Southern Environmental Law Center, and American Whitewater, supports exploring the possibility of dam removal.
If dam removal proves feasible and can be appropriately funded, potential benefits include:
- Flood risk reduction
Craggy Dam does not provide flood control. Studies indicate flood levels immediately upstream could be 7–10 feet lower without the dam, reducing risk to homes, schools, and businesses that experienced millions in damage during Hurricane Helene. - Public safety
Low-head dams pose well-documented drowning hazards. Removal would eliminate this risk. - Ecological restoration
Removing the dam would reconnect 1,460 miles of rivers and tributaries within the French Broad watershed—restoring sediment flow, aquatic habitat, and species movement at a rare scale. - Recreation and economic vitality
Dam removal would unlock 3.5 miles of Class II–III whitewater, expand river access, and support long-term economic activity tied to recreation, tourism, and riverfront revitalization.
To learn more about the Craggy Dam Removal opportunity, visit CraggyCoalition.org
How do we get there?
Supporters of Craggy Dam removal aren’t asking the MSD board to vote to support dam removal today. The request is simply to fairly evaluate the option alongside other possible paths forward.
Before a dam removal could happen, MSD would need to agree to sell the dam at a fair price to a third party, which would ensure that MSD operations and ratepayers are protected while dam removal takes place. And before any potential sale could occur, MSD must determine the fair market value of the hydropower facility. For that reason, the valuation must be conducted in a way that is independent, technically credible, and broadly trusted by all parties.
We need your help to keep the door open to this critical conversation.
Take Action
We’re calling on the community to email the MSD Board asking them to commit to a transparent process that evaluates all options before making irreversible decisions.
