India, Nov. 3 -- Sometimes the best way to solve a problem might just be to take something away. That's what happened in Bishopville, Maryland. A 2015 news release from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources explained that a four-foot sheet metal dam was replaced by 635 linear feet of stable stream channel and wetland habitat. The project spanned a decade, and it was nearly complete when the release was issued. As of that release, seven miles of creek were accessible spawning and nursery habitat for key fish species, and alewives had already been spotted there.

The old dam was located on Bunting's Branch, a small stream flowing into the St. Martin's River, along Maryland Route 367. The sheet-metal dam was replaced by a set of pools...