Dam Removal on the Little Miami River

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In the 1960’s a riverfront landowner unadvisedly built a poured concrete low-head dam across the Little Miami. The dam created a safety hazard to area paddlers, collected sediment smothering vital instream habitat, and created a significant scar on this beautiful river. Since its founding in 1967, the Little Miami Conservancy has successfully thwarted attempts to expand the development footprint around this structure, and was eventually able to purchase the lands surrounding the dam in 2010. The Little Miami Conservancy is working with Xylem as well as other local conservation groups seeking funding to remove the dam and restore the forest at this site.

The Little Miami River watershed is the home of YSI and this dam lies just a few miles downstream of the footprint of our property.  The dam lies along a stretch of river the YSI helps maintain through our Watermark program and is an impediment to restoration of a section of river due to the unsafe conditions it creates for paddlers trying to access the area for cleanup.  Its removal will improve streambed habitat, the quality and fish and mussel health, and return free movement along this section of the river.

The project team has been in talks with governmental conservation agencies at the local, state and federal levels. All are in favor of the dam’s removal and restoration work. The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been onsite and will be assisting in the project’s implementation with technical and other support. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Scenic Rivers Program has committed to employing a team led by mussel expert Dr. Michael Hoggarth of Otterbein University to collect and relocate any mussels found at the site. The Ohio EPA and Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District also support the project. A local contractor has provided a quote of $15,000 to remove the dam and haul it and other concrete debris off site. Little Miami Conservancy staff and Xylem volunteers will assist in the invasive removal and replanting of native trees and wildflowers, along with media relations and overall project management.

We are looking for funding to supplement the grants from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Ohio Department of Natural Resource's Scenic Rivers Program.  This will make a noticeable and permanent impact on the quality of the watershed and all those the swim in its waters and tread upon its banks.