Hurricane breaches dam; returns Swannanoa River to natural state

My correspondent in North Carolina recently forwarded an article from the “Hickory Record.” newspaper.  In 2024 Hurricane Helene dumped so much rain in North Carolina that the Lake Craig Dam was breached.  This allowed fish to move upstream for the first time since the dam was built over 100 years ago.  

The city of Ashville has decided not to repair the dam.  The rest of the dam will be removed, eliminating a barrier to six fish species.  The wildlife commission didn’t need to reintroduce the fish–they swam upstream on their own.

As Shakespeare noted in his play Henry VI:  “Ill blows the wind that profits nobody.”  In this case the fish and the river profited.