Get involved to stop removal of dams

A national movement for removing all dams in the country is now targeting dams on the Fox River. It assumes that there are somehow inherent flaws with all dams and that removal is the only solution. This top-down movement does not consider local community economic or environmental impacts. Their claims for dam removal?

Improved water quality. False. The impoundments behind the dams filter and biologically clean stormwater runoff and waste water treatment discharges from the entire watershed. Removal just sends pollution downstream.

Restored wildlife. False. Removal of the impoundment will destroy acres of wetlands, home to a diverse and thriving habitat. Wetlands are crucial to the health of our ecosystem and per environmental requirements must be completely restored or re-created. The millions of plants in our shoreline wetlands absorb CO2 and reduce our carbon footprint.

No local cost. False. As removal will result in an estimated 25 — 50% reduction in river width, local communities will be responsible for moving storm system piping/drains to the new river boundaries; Moving/modifying the structures and components of water treatment facilities; miles of shoreline and wetland restoration; hazardous waste mitigation from decades of industrial waste dumping scoured up by the faster running river; and inspection/ reinforcement of structures that assumed common offsetting hydraulic balancing forces from river water levels in their analysis and design.

Thinking of having dinner at any of the lovely restaurants along St. Charles’ Riverwalk or a getaway at the Baker or Herrington Inn? No longer, the smell will be intense as occurred in Geneva in the 1952 partial breach. Geneva’s solution: build a new state-of-the-art dam

Prior removals (check out Klamath River) have been disastrous and now they are coming for us. The dams will be removed unless we get involved to stop it.

Patrice Bertheau

Geneva