This study investigates the impact of dam-induced hydrologic alterations and modification of riparian buffers on stream temperatures and thermal habitat for aquatic species. We enhanced and applied a model system (DHSVM-RBM) that couples a distributed hydrologic model, DHSVM, with the distributed stream temperature model, RBM, in the Farmington River basin in the Connecticut River system, which includes varying types of watershed development (e.g., deforestation and reservoirs).