Page 6 - The Deed 2019

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Improving river access
Low dam removal creates a scenic experience
Before: The Tait Station low dam no longer served any purpose and would have cost $5 to $8 million to repair.
If you paddle on the Great Miami River
near Carillon Historical Park in Dayton, the journey now is not only safer, it’s prettier, too.
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) removed the Tait Station low dam last summer and fall. Now water cascades over a rif e of stones creating a more picturesque experience while improving river safety, river access and water quality in the Great Miami Riverway.
MCD worked with ODOT to secure the $1.75 million funding for the project.
“Removing Tait Station low dam is a real positive for the paddling community,” says
Great Miami River
Sarah Hippensteel Hall, MCD watershed partnerships manager. “Low dams are notoriously dangerous. Boaters can be trapped at low dams and drown. Now, people are able to more safely enjoy this section of the river.”
The dam no longer served any purpose and needed $5 to $8 million in repairs. MCD accepted the low dam from DP&L in 1990. The dam was not part of MCD’s ood protection system.
After: Removal of the dam is improving water quality in the Great Miami River.
Changes to low dams improve water quality
Changes to two low dams are creating improved water quality in a 5-mile stretch of the Great Miami River through downtown Dayton, according to studies.
“Experts report that this stretch of the Great Miami River is a very high-quality stream for aquatic communities,” says Mike Ekberg, MCD water resources monitoring and analysis manager. “Not many cities the size of Dayton with a river as large as the Great Miami can say this.”
MCD hired Jeff Kavanaugh, Ph.D., a University of Dayton professor, to study the impact on water quality following low dam modi cations and removal.
In recent years, local organizations developed kayak chutes at the low dam near Monument Avenue. And ODOT removed the low dam at Tait Station. The river is now home to an abundance and diversity of sh and macroinvertebrates—bugs that live in healthy waters with good habitat.
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