After the fall of Vicksburg during the Civil War, which resulted in the Mississippi River becoming a Union highway, President Abraham Lincoln intoned “Thank God. The Father of Waters again goes unvexed to the sea.”
Well, we’re not in a civil war. And the Fox River isn’t the “Father of Waters” (although it does, eventually, go to the sea via the Illinois River and the Mississippi). It is, however, “vexed” – not by hostile forts and cannon, but by a series of dams that litter the Fox Valley region.
But that may be about to change.
According to a press release, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released a draft report recommending the removal of dams along the Fox River throughout the Fox Valley.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Fox River Study Group are partnering with the Army Corps of Engineers to assess the feasibility of restoring the river connectivity and habitat for fishes, mussels and wildlife along a stretch of the Fox River from Algonquin to Montgomery.
The draft report considers three alternative plans to restore the river connectivity and habitat, including a no action option. The tentatively selected plan includes full removal of the Fox River dams in Carpentersville, Elgin, South Elgin, St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, North Aurora, Aurora, and Montgomery. The recommendation involves demolition, removal and disposal of the existing dam structures.
The report’s findings will be detailed and public comment will be accepted at several meetings scheduled from 5:30 to 7:30 on:
- Monday, Sept. 18 at the St. Charles Public Works Facility, 1405 S. Seventh Ave., St. Charles;
- Tuesday, Sept. 19 at the Heritage Ballroom at the Centre of Elgin, 100 Symphony Way, Elgin; and
- Wednesday, Sept. 20 at Waubonsee Community College, 18 S. River St., Aurora.
The full, draft Project Implementation Report and Environmental Assessment (PIR/EA for the Fox River Connectivity & Habitat Study in Kane and McHenry counties can be found on the Army Corps of Engineers website.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is accepting written comments and questions via email through Monday, Nov. 6
