In September 2011, The NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Commission (NC DENR WRC) announced plans to remove both dams on Big Hungry River, a tributary to the Green River Narrows. American Whitewater and the paddling community weighed in to support funding and implementation of this exciting project. The lower dam was fully removed, but the removal process accidentally released large amounts of sediment into the Green River, pausing the removal of the upper dam. Eventually, the upper dam was shaved down to match the top of the backed up sediment and left in place. Within a year or two of this decision, Hurricane Helene caused a massive flood in the watershed that partially breached the upper dam. While not a perfect process, these dam removals significantly improved the paddling experience on Big Hungry River, and almost certainly improved the ecological and physical conditions of the stream as well.
