Grand River Dam Removal Begins

work begins in the Grand River (photo from Fox 17)

compiled from several sources

Removal has begun of four low-head dams that were contructed in the Grand River, Michigan, about a century ago. The four dams essentially smoothed the rapids for which the city was named.

Now, after 20 years of planning, the rapids will be restored. Work is beginning with the placement of barriers called turbidity curtains to control sediment. The entire project will take approximately two years. Boulders will be added to recreate the actual rapids.

Also, the machines are using plant-based hydraulic fluid to help protect the environment.

The end goal is to restore a more natural waterway which is safer for recreation, better for fish passage and more closely resembles the rapids that gave Grand Rapids its name.

For now, a downstream dam at Sixth Street will remain in place. It serves as a barrier to keep lamprey from traveling up the waterway. The design of a new structure to restrict the lamprey has not been selected, and that part of the project will probably not be undertaken until at least 2028.

See more at Fox 17
See Grand River's Rapids to be Restored


These links are checked on the date of the article. As the article ages, some links may become invalid

Go To www.getoffthecouchnews.blogspot.com for all the news
See Get Off The Couch