Hundreds attend meeting about removing dam in St. Charles

Some of the nearly 400 people who attended an informational meeting last week about the St. Charles Dam were not happy about what they heard.

Based on the findings of a recent study, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has recommended removing all nine Fox River dams in Kane County, from Carpentersville to Montgomery, to restore the river’s natural wildlife habitat and improve water quality.

The final decision to remove the dams will be up to local elected officials in each municipality. Still, the recommendation from the Army Corps has sparked controversy among residents for and against removing the dams.

On Jan. 17, the River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles hosted a lecture at the Arcada Theatre to present its proposed alternatives to removing the St. Charles Dam from the Fox River.

“It’s not a black-and-white question,” John Rabchuk, the RCF director, told the audience. “It’s not either take out the dam or don’t take out the dam. There are alternatives.”

Scott Shipley, an engineer with S2O Design & Engineering (now a part of Calibre) out of Colorado, presented plans to reengineer the St. Charles Dam into a waterway with whitewater rapids, canals for fish migration and space for public parks and features.

The proposed Active River Project would reconstruct the river from the dam north to the Great Western Trail Railroad trestle. Designs include a section of river rapids for paddlers, a pedestrian walkway under the Main Street bridge, and multiple park areas for community events and festivals.

The project also would renovate the shorelines on both banks of the river and includes plans to remodel the vacant, city-owned property that was the site of the former police station.

Rabchuk said water levels would not change on either side of the project, thus preserving the use of the river for paddlers and keeping the riverside holes at Pottawatomie Golf Course intact.

“St. Charles has a unique opportunity,” Rabchuk said. “The way our river is right in the middle of our downtown, the way the dam is structured now, and the way that the natural riverbed exists, it’s the perfect location for doing this kind of thing.”

One downside of the plan is that while removing the dam would be paid for mainly by state and federal dollars, the alternative backed by RCF could cost the city millions.

Another is that while this alternative would improve fish migration, it would not meet the Army Corps’ goal of improving water quality.

The project’s reception was not overwhelmingly positive. Questions shouted by various audience members interrupted Shipley multiple times throughout the lecture.

After the presentation, Rabchuk and Shipley responded to written questions from audience members.

One person asked if other towns with dams on the Fox River are considering similar alternatives. Rabchuk said Batavia is considering something similar. However, many cities are in different positions than St. Charles, such as Elgin, which uses its dam for drinking water.

Another person asked how removing other dams along the Fox River would affect this plan. Rabchuk said the removal of other dams would not affect their project.

Rabchuk said the last cost estimate of the project was conducted 10 years ago and was estimated at $10 million. While he said the foundation would seek grant funding for the project, the cost remained a major concern for residents in attendance.

The dam belongs to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Rabchuk said if St. Charles were to take matters into its own hands and build something like the alternative proposed, the city would likely take ownership of the dam.

Other community concerns included how the project would affect fish migration regarding invasive species, the impact on home values near the river, and the impact the project would have on parking in the city.

Rabchuk said regardless of whether the dams are kept or removed, there are going to be changes to the river based on the Army Corps’ recommendation. He said each option will have different trade-offs, and each community must decide what changes will be best for their city.

“There is nobody in this room or in this city, quite frankly, that’s going to agree with all those changes,” Rabchuk said. “There’s going to be some good and some bad.”