Batavia tables dam removal study, seeks more options

Batavia City Council members could not agree this week on whether to take the first step toward removing the city’s dam from the Fox River.

The council was to vote later this month on a feasibility study that would begin in May. However, a discussion was tabled during a Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday after members failed to reach a consensus.

The concrete low-head dam in Batavia is more than 100 years old and has been crumbling for years. It spans about 365 feet in length with an 11.5-foot drop.

The Fox River Corridor Master Plan, approved by the city council in 2023, calls for the dam to be removed and replaced with a series of rock weirs to maintain Depot Pond.

Committee members reviewed a contract with consultant V3 Companies to study the feasibility of the dam’s removal and identify any available alternative options.

The study would assess several options, including removing the dam, installing rock weirs and adding recreational features like a whitewater rafting channel.

During the discussion, some aldermen questioned why the feasibility study was looking into additional dam alternatives besides those outlined in the master plan and were in favor of narrowing the scope of the study.

City Administrator Laura Newman said she would reach out to V3 and other consultants who submitted proposals and get new proposals with more refined scopes of services.

Aligned with a 2023 study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that recommended removing several Fox River dams in Kane County, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources was expected to fund a portion of the project when the master plan was approved.

However, it is unclear when the city would receive funding and whether the rock weir alternative outlined in the master plan would qualify.

Aldermen Allan Wolff and George Ajazi had reservations about spending money on the project without any assurance that they would receive funding from IDNR.

Still, others wanted to move forward with the study.

Alderman Mark Uher said they won’t be able to plan or budget the project without the study. He said a plan needs to be in place because federal funding can require quick action.

“Every time we stop moving forward, we’re putting ourselves at greater risk of losing money,” Uher said.