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5th Avenue Dam Removal - News & Updates

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Started 4 months ago by lazyfish
Latest reply from GCrites80s

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lazyfish

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soooo, how did this great news fly under the radar
http://utilities.columbus.gov/content.aspx?id=17304

The 5th ave damn is to be partially removed (the eastern half) Glass half full for sure. 2011, project to begin (oops) to be finished in 2012! horray. Here’s hoping it actually happens.

from the city utilities website

In October 2010, Stantec began preparing construction documents which were completed in May 2011. The project includes removing a portion of the lowhead dam and constructing stream improvements along the Olentangy River from the dam upstream to the Lane Avenue Bridge. The project will help restore natural river function, improve habitat for fish and other aquatic species and improve the riparian corridor. In July 2011, USACOE sent a letter informing the City the project met criteria for Section 404 Nationwide Permit (NWP) #27.

On-going work includes resolving outstanding floodplain issues associated with restoration of the stream banks with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); coordinating construction activities with the university which has and will have numerous construction projects in the area; and finalizing the Ohio EPA environmental covenants among the affected entities. Given the outcome of the flood elevation review, additional efforts may be needed to mitigate the risk of increased flood impacts due to stream channel restoration work.

Significant project advancement has been made; however, there are several important issues to be addressed before construction can commence.

Project construction anticipates receiving $500,000 thru the OEPA 319 Grant Program and approximately $3.1 million thru the Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program. Construction cost is estimated at $5.5 million.

See project rendering (large file)
See projected views for completion, 5 years and 25 years after completion

Any questions or comments can be directed to:
Columbus Department of Public Utilities
• George J. Zonders at (614) 645-2926 or by email.

The Ohio EPA has completed a Limited Environmental Review for this project. The document may be viewed on Ohio EPA’s site or in hard copy from Ohio EPA. If you would like to receive either an electronic copy via e-mail or a paper copy of the document via U.S. mail upon its release, please contact Dan Halterman of Ohio EPA at (614) 644-3658 or by email.

Posted 4 months ago #
goldenidea

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This should be beneficial to those of us who bike on the Olentagy Trail west of Battelle near 5th Ave. That segment of the bike path flooded a lot this past year with all of the rain we got. Without that dam, perhaps the river level will fall a bit keeping the flooding down after large rainfalls.

Posted 4 months ago #
howatzer

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lazyfish said:
soooo, how did this great news fly under the radar
http://utilities.columbus.gov/content.aspx?id=17304

The 5th ave damn is to be partially removed (the eastern half) Glass half full for sure. 2011, project to begin (oops) to be finished in 2012! horray. Here’s hoping it actually happens.

Where did you get that timeline quote? It's not on the website and last I heard they were still waiting on funding.

Posted 4 months ago #
joev
Merion Village
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What's the point of removing half a dam?

Posted 4 months ago #
johnwirtz
Evanston, IL
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It improves half the water quality.

Posted 4 months ago #
James
Upper Arlington
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goldenidea said:
This should be beneficial to those of us who bike on the Olentagy Trail west of Battelle near 5th Ave. That segment of the bike path flooded a lot this past year with all of the rain we got. Without that dam, perhaps the river level will fall a bit keeping the flooding down after large rainfalls.

Perhaps the path shouldn't have been relocated from atop the dike, where it never flooded.
Between the 15 month project of rebuilding Dodrigde over the river that has essentially blocked the trail to the north, to flooding of the path from elevated river levels and the hospital construction flushing drainage water across the trail, trail users seem to be invisible when decisions are made about construction.

Posted 4 months ago #
groundrules

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James said:
Perhaps the path shouldn't have been relocated from atop the dike, where it never flooded.

there's an exit ramp blocking the levee route now.

Posted 4 months ago #
Cbusbill
Columbus
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joev said:
What's the point of removing half a dam?

I know a longstanding item on the city's "wish list" has been to restore the Scioto and/or Olentangy flows to pre-dam status. The goal would be to allow boaters that enter the river at a dock north or south of the downtown area with the ability to travel through the city unabated. Currently, the dams located along the rivers prohibit boaters from traveling more than a few miles in any direction before becoming hemmed in by the damns. Its why you've never seen a boat downtown on the Scioto.

I presume removing half the dam will help keep a semblance of flood control in place, while still helping bring about the uninhibited boating access.

It would be quite a change to see pleasure boats up and down the rivers...tailgating during OSU football games, for Red White & Boom and other downtown festivals...pretty cool.

Posted 4 months ago #
rory
NW Short North
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Cbusbill said:
I know a longstanding item on the city's "wish list" has been to restore the Scioto and/or Olentangy flows to pre-dam status. The goal would be to allow boaters that enter the river at a dock north or south of the downtown area with the ability to travel through the city unabated. Currently, the dams located along the rivers prohibit boaters from traveling more than a few miles in any direction before becoming hemmed in by the damns. Its why you've never seen a boat downtown on the Scioto.

I presume removing half the dam will help keep a semblance of flood control in place, while still helping bring about the uninhibited boating access.

It would be quite a change to see pleasure boats up and down the rivers...tailgating during OSU football games, for Red White & Boom and other downtown festivals...pretty cool.

You occasionally see boats downtown, at least near the confluence. The reason why you don't see them often is that except for the channel it's really shallow. I'd hit the bottom with my oars every time I went there in my tiny rowboat. On the other hand if you do get your boat down there the smallmouth action is really good.

It's going to be interesting to see what surfaces when the water goes down. And unfortunately I doubt there will ever be enough water to tailgate during games. Although I'm no hydrologist without dams I expect it to be about 15 feet wide.

Posted 4 months ago #
futureman
Grandview Heights
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groundrules said:
there's an exit ramp blocking the levee route now.

.... And that is where the trail was located before the on and off ramp were built from 315 to Cannon drive. They even put a barricade up at King Ave to the old section to make sure no one uses it.

I doubt this river, post damn removal, would be navigable to anything bigger than a canoe or kayak - It's very shallow most of the time typically only a couple of feet deep.

Posted 4 months ago #
lazyfish

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howatzer said:
Where did you get that timeline quote? It's not on the website and last I heard they were still waiting on funding.

from the link @ the bottom of the page on the utilities page. It is the EPA's
Limited Environmental Review for this project.

not sure if the hyperlink copies as the document is a PDF...when will Siri recognize text in PDF format?

Posted 4 months ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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Guts: Ride a barge on a reservoir, and break up the dam.

Get the Video Plugin

Posted 4 months ago #
lazyfish

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alexs said:
Guts: Ride a barge on a reservoir, and break up the dam.

Get the Video Plugin

very cool! sooo did they finish and remove the whole thing?

Posted 4 months ago #
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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Cbusbill said:
I presume removing half the dam will help keep a semblance of flood control in place, while still helping bring about the uninhibited boating access.

That's not a flood control dam. It was built to provide a small reservoir of water to run the power plant. The dam provides little if any flood control.

Removing half a dam is, for the most part, pretty much the same for the water level as removing the entire dam, the water will flow out the opening. Frankly, if they remove the correct half there should be plenty of capacity for the river to flow more or less unimpeded most of the time.

It's true that if the water flow becomes great enough it could start backing up at the smaller gap, but (assuming they remove the concrete currently lining the river floor and anchoring the dam) the channel at that point will tend to naturally dig out and become deeper to handle the greater flow through the gap, or could start (slowly) eroding the remaining part of the dam.

Posted 4 months ago #
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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rory said:Although I'm no hydrologist without dams I expect it to be about 15 feet wide.

You're probably about right.

Posted 4 months ago #
James
Upper Arlington
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howatzer said:
Where did you get that timeline quote? It's not on the website and last I heard they were still waiting on funding.

They've been waiting on funding for over 10 years. I wouldn't be surprised to see the dam fall down before funding is arranged to remove it.

Posted 4 months ago #
James
Upper Arlington
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Cbusbill said:
It would be quite a change to see pleasure boats up and down the rivers...tailgating during OSU football games, for Red White & Boom and other downtown festivals...pretty cool.

The vast majority of recreational river usage above 5th ave dam is from collegiate rowers who will be forced to relocate when the dam is removed.

Posted 4 months ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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Keep in mind that the Corps of Engineers can control the flow of water at the Delaware dam, but after that there's no control other than development laws requiring stormwater basins. When there's a heavy rain event, the Olentangy goes NUTS because of all the impermeable surfaces along the Rt. 23 corridor between Delaware and Columbus, even as almost no water is going through the dam.

http://sciotoriverfriends.org/educational/olentangy_stormwater_spike.pps

http://sciotoriverfriends.org/educational/dam_flow_control.pps

Posted 4 months ago #
vestanpance
Harrison West/at work OSU
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poor homeless people going to have to move.

Posted 4 months ago #
CMH2579

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The last I heard was funding was secure, but if they couldn't take it down in the fall of 2011, then it would have to wait for the fall of 2012. I don't remember exactly why though.

Posted 4 months ago #