Aquatic Connectivity measures the barrier to the free movement of riverine life due to dams. Dams block the ability of aquatic and riparian organisms to move to feed, breed, or escape poor conditions. This indicator is based on the number of dams per river mile in the mainstem rivers and tributaries.
Note that the 2018 Report Card used an aquatic connectivity metric calculated by the UMass-Amherst Conservation Assessment and Prioritization System (CAPS). However, in 2023, OARS switched to an internally calculated metric based on dams for simplicity and to avoid duplication with the ecological integrity metric.