After 17 years, a project to remove the dams in downtown Grand Rapids is finally set to begin construction this summer. The project, called Grand Rapids WhiteWater, has two phases. The first phase will remove four low-head dams spanning from Bridge St. to Fulton St. in order to make more recreational opportunities for residents and improve the aquatic habitat for fish.
At its meeting on February 24, the Grand Rapids City Commission approved a $14.5 million contract for the project with the Taplin Group, an environmental and municipal services provider.
At a community development committee meeting before the full commission meeting, Mike Staal, who works with the city’s engineering department, said plans for the second part of the project will be coming soon.
“The upper reach project contemplates the removal of the Sixth Street Dam, which acts as that sea lamprey barrier,” he said. “Because that sea lamprey barrier would be involved, that work is being led by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. They are early in their stages of the environmental impact study, which they're estimating to take about two years. And the design process would follow after that.”
Staal said during construction of the first phase, which is expected to last two years, Ah-Nab-Awen Park would be closed, but the river will remain accessible.
Matt Chapman, the executive director of Grand Rapids WhiteWater, said at the meeting he is excited about the benefits of the project. The four dams that will be removed will be replaced with a slope of rock and boulder to help bring back the rapids to the river. The project also hopes to improve the rivers as a habitat for fish and make it suitable for native Great Lakes fish and mussel species.
“The purpose of this lower reach project specifically is to restore the rapids, improve public safety, restore aquatic habitat diversity and suitability for native Great Lakes fish and mussel species, and to enhance river access and use. That's a mouthful, but basically we want to make this river more accessible and make it a better place and restore it back to what it was,” he said.
Chapman also said he hopes the removal of the dams will allow for more recreational opportunities for residents.
“You'll see whitewater. You'll hear the rapids. You'll see the rapids,” Chapman said. “But it really removes that dangerous hydraulic that's created by those dams and then allows for more enhanced opportunities for different recreational uses, as you see there, tubing, floating, canoeing, kayaking, and of course, angling.”
In addition to dam removal, the project will also use 125 scattered habitat boulders to help improve the environment for fish.
“These are four to six foot boulders in diameter. That recreates the habitat, recreates rapids, creates excellent opportunities for resting areas for fish as they're migrating upstream," he said.
