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Article Archives/Wisconsin Leads Nation in Dam Removal and River Restoraton

Wisconsin Leads Nation in Dam Removal and River Restoration

USSFN: MADISON – The removal last month of the deteriorating White River Dam on the Fox River in Green Lake County brought to eight the number of dams removed from Wisconsin waters in 2003, with four removals already on tap for 2004.

The projects have cemented Wisconsin’s status as the nation’s leader in removing unsafe, obsolete dams, and highlighted the improvement in water quality, fisheries, and habitat that can be gained from restoring rivers to a free-flowing condition.

“Removal of old, uneconomical, obsolete dams continues to be one of the best river restoration tools we have at our disposal in the state of Wisconsin,” says Todd Ambs, who leads the Department of Natural Resources’ water division. “We’re proud of our continued work in this area and look forward to more success stories in the years to come.”

The White River Dam was built in the 19th century to aid commercial boats using the locks to travel along the Fox River. The locks were abandoned in 1951 and the dam became obsolete, and over time, fell into disrepair and no longer met safety standards, according to Linda Hyatt, who supervises water programs for DNR in the West Upper Fox River Basin.

“The White River Dam removal eliminates a navigational hazard and one more impediment to fish migration along the Fox River,” Hyatt says. “The dam was originally constructed in the 1880s and 90s, so the dam removal allows better fish passage up to Princeton than has been possible in 120 years.”

Spawning sturgeon and walleye stand to benefit from the longer run of river, and DNR fisheries crews are studying whether flathead catfish will benefit as well from removal of the dam.

The White River Dam was one of 57 dams slated to be removed nationwide in 2003, according to a national survey by the American Rivers, a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting and restoring rivers nationwide.

In 2003, as in previous years, Wisconsin led the nation in the number of planned removals of these old, unsafe and obsolete dams. Nationwide, more than 114 dams have been removed since 1999, with Wisconsin accounting for roughly one-fifth of the total, according to American Rivers figures.

More than 100 dams have been removed in Wisconsin since 1967, many of them small dams. Statewide, there are about 3,800 dams, including about 1,160 that are classified as large dams because they are either more than 6 feet tall and impound 50 acre-feet or more, or are 25 feet or more and impound more than 15 acre-feet.

“Wisconsin led the pack again in 2003,” says Helen Sarakinos, dams program manager for the River Alliance of Wisconsin. “Restoring rivers by removing dams is one of the state's and the DNR's success stories.

“Wisconsinites recognize that removing an aging, obsolete hazard and restoring a river to healthy, free-flowing waters just makes good sense - good for the community and good for the river. And the rest of the country looks to us as a leader in common sense approaches to managing our rivers."

The dam removals in 2003 didn’t receive the state and national publicity given the successful dam removals on the Baraboo River, which involved many partners and created the nation’s longest free-flowing stretch of river restored by dam removals. But the eight projects in 2003 -- some of which removed publicly owned dams, others privately owned dams -- all were good stories and had many unsung heroes, Sarakinos said.

Perhaps most notably, the Waubeka Dam was removed from the Milwaukee River in March 2003, becoming the tenth dam removed since 1988 on the river’s main stem or its tributaries. The privately owned dam failed a safety inspection and the owner allowed the dam to be removed. The removal was paid for by a special budget allocation by the legislature and federal grant money from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

DNR crews conducted habitat evaluations and fish collections before the dam’s removal and found that carp constituted 40 percent of the catch, compared to 7 percent downstream and 5 percent upstream. The impoundment contained 10 native fish species, while the upstream reaches contained 16 and the downstream reach contained 21, and the habitat was rated fair to very poor.

Fisheries biologists hope the Waubeka Dam removal brings the kind of dramatic improvement seen along the once heavily polluted Milwaukee River, especially in the stretch that was previously an impoundment created by the North Avenue Dam in Milwaukee. Removal of that dam in 1997 and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s program to abate sewer overflows has transformed it into a popular fishing spot where anglers catch seasonal runs of salmon and trout and smallmouth bass, a popular game fish species intolerant of pollution, according to Will Wawrzyn, a DNR fish biologist stationed in Milwaukee.

Thirty-one species of native fish have been documented in that stretch, and DNR has been able to undertake a walleye and lake sturgeon restoration program for the Milwaukee River and its estuary, he says. In addition, housing and business developments have flourished along the river, and civic events now feature the river instead of turning away from it, Wawrzyn says.

Here’s a listing from DNR and the River Alliance of the other dam removals in 2003, some on tap for 2004, and some information about the resulting benefits.

Beers Dam, located on a cold water feeder to a tributary to Dougherty Creek on UW Research Farm property in western Green County. The dam needed repair that would have cost about as much as it cost to remove it. DNR paid for most of the work through an Environmental Damage Repair Fund allocation. The immediate benefit of the removal is temperature moderation-the dam was raising summer water temperatures in the stream as much as 25 degrees Fahrenheit. About a mile of stream will benefit from the removal, fully completed in 2003.

Boulder Creek Dams in Boulder Creek. These two remnant timber crib and cement dams were removed in July 2003 by the owner to restore the coldwater creek and eliminate the liability created by the two dams. One of the dams has no known purpose and the other was intended to create a fish hatchery. Removal is expected to return this portion of the creek to its original coldwater habitat and improve water quality by normalizing the temperature of the creek.

Zipperer Dam on the Branch River was removed in July 2003. This 5-foot by 40-foot dam was removed in 2003 because it prohibited fish migration.

Clark's Mill Dam, on Austin and Magdanz creeks in Waushara County, was abandoned and removed in summer 2003. The dam consisted of an embankment with a county highway across the top and the spillway of the dam was perched about four feet above the stream bed, which prevented fish passage on a trout stream. The embankment had to remain for the county highway. DNR’s northeast regional operations crew removed the concrete apron and culvert spillway and replaced it with two corrugated metal pipes set at an elevation that will allow fish migration upstream. The old impoundment is currently filled with wild rice, and the creek is cutting a nice channel through the accumulated sediment. DNR estimates that this may provide additional 10 miles or more of trout spawning habitat.

Mosquito Brook - A small dam on state land in Sawyer County near the headwaters of Mosquito Brook (which beaver had been augmenting) was removed in 2003.

Nine Mile Creek in the Town of Elk, Price County. The Hastings 5 Dam was a privately owned dam that was installed without authorization. The dam and resulting impoundment, were both located entirely on private property. The earthen dam had gradually deteriorated and the owners did not want to go through the expense to design and reconstruct a dam that complied with state code. DNR issued the order for its removal and negotiated DNR taking the lead on the removal plan with the agreement that the owner finance the actual removal. The removal is expected to result in the stream returning to a free flowing system.

Dam removals already on tap for 2004:

Athens Dam on Potato Creek. This rock and concrete dam is less than 10-feet tall and is slated for removal in 2004 because it is in a state of disrepair and the impoundment waters are damaging the property of a nearby park shelter.

Ball Park Dam on the Maunesha River. The city of Waterloo decided to remove this 12-foot by 300-foot dam, which was in an advanced state of disrepair, because the cost of removing the dam was more economically feasible than repairing it. Removal is slated to occur in 2004.

McCaslin Brook Dam on the North Branch of the Oconto River: This 8-foot by 108-foot dam is primarily made of large boulders and a few crib structures made of wood filled with rock. The structure is currently in poor condition and is prohibiting native brook trout from spawning upstream. In addition, the water temperatures have increased and the dissolved oxygen level has decreased. Heavy sedimentation in the impoundment is also a concern. The dam is likely to be removed in 2004 and its removal will improve water quality and help increase the population of native brook trout.

Manchester Dam in Grand River. This 12-foot by 250-foot gravity and earthen dam is tentatively slated for removal in 2004 because the dam is currently a safety liability and has been under orders for repair since the early 1980s. There is fear that the structure will fail entirely. DNR and Green Lake County are currently working to determine ownership and strategy; the county has received $25,000 from the NRCS and is applying for additional small dam removal funds to take the dam out. In addition to eliminating safety concerns, removing the dam would open up 12 miles of habitat and fish passage to warm water fish species.

Source: Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Contacts: Meg Galloway, DNR, (608) 266-7014

Helen Sarakinos, River Alliance (608) 257-2424

~ Jim