This report prepared by American Rivers, Friends of the Earth and Trout Unlimited in 1999 describes the concept of dam removal and discusses the brief history of dam removal in the United States until then. Case studies of dam removal in many states are also discussed.

According to the report, until 1999, states with the most recorded removals were Wisconsin (73 dams), California (47 dams), Ohio (39 dams), Pennsylvania (38dams), and Tennessee (25 dams).