WHIO Reports: Richmond seeks to remove Weir Dam

RICHMOND, Indiana — The city of Richmond, Indiana, is getting ready to remove an aging dam, but ahead of the project, there was concern about how pulling the dam would impact the river and potentially the drinking water.

However, a study and testing led by Earlham College researchers who, teamed up with the city, has created some peace of mind.

Along the Whitewater River is the Weir Dam. It’s the center of this new partnership project between the city and Earlham College.

It’s more than 100 years old and is now crumbling in spots. The city of Richmond said it has to go.

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Denise Retz, Park Supt. for Richmond Parks and Recreation said, “Basically functionality, safety, ecological benefits, fish passage and recreation are the main reasons why the dam has to see its way out.”

Low head dams like this one are dangerous for people in the water, including boaters because they create a drowning hazard.

Richmond’s industrial past, including old plants and mills is what created concern about what would happen if crews removed the dam.

Shannon Hayes with Earlham College said, “Any contamination that’s carried into the river and flooding events gets deposited behind dams. As the water velocity shows down as you go over a dam, all the sediment drops out.”

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Weir Dam Photo Courtesy of Earlham College

Hayes is a geologist at Earlham College.

“And so we were concerned because of these former industries that there may be contaminants trapped behind the dam that are currently not engaging with the ecosystem that would be released if the dam is breached – either because it failed or it was removed,” Hayes said.

For dinking water, one of the city’s primary well fields is in the flood plains less that a mile downstream and the city’s water treatment facility is two miles downstream.

So, Hayes, another researcher and three undergrads, all from Earlham College, partnered with the city and took samples of the sediment behind the dam.

They sent the samples to a state lab for testing.

“They found that there are low concentrations of a number of different metals and hydrocarbons but none of the PCBs nor pesticides that were analyzed were detected,” Hayes said.

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The state of Indiana’s Department of Environmental Management will likely require more sampling and testing before they issue a permit to remove the dam.

But the work from Earlham researchers is a good sign to start.

“The concentrations are significantly lower than we thought and are unlikely to pose a significant hazard to human health or the environment,” Hayes said.

The city hopes 100 percent of the project will be covered by state and federal grant money. The cost won’t come from Richmond’s budget.

The city also said removing the dam will open the stretch of river for redevelopment, including safe water recreation.

Ian Vanness, City of Richmond Director of Infrastructure and Development said, “Here in Richmond, I think we’re really fortunate to have such a great natural resource in the Whitewater River and Gorge going right through the heart of our city. So, we have a lot of potential to leverage this as a public amenity.”

The city said the goal is to remove the dam in the late summer. There’s a chance the project could get pushed back to late summer 2023.

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