Final Plenary Dammed if You Do--Illinois and Wisconsin Case Studies Andrew Struck

7/30/2019 Final Plenary Dammed if You Do--Illinois and Wisconsin Case Studies Andrew Struck

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Making Connections Across Our Watersheds

The Newburg, Thiensville and Grafton Dams

Dammed if You Do: Illinois and Wisconsin Case

Studies and a Guided Panel Discussion

9th Annual Clean Rivers, Clean Lake Conference

Andrew T. Struck, Director

Ozaukee County Planning and Parks Department


2/27


Large Dams on the Milwaukee River

Newburg Dam Removal (2012)

Mequon-Thiensville Dam Passive

Nature-like Fishway (2010)

Lime Kiln Dam Removal (2010)

Bridge Street Dam Passive

Fishway (Designed 2009-2011)

Dam removed or modified by others


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Dam Evaluation Watershed Conservation Approach

33

ALTERNATIVE WATER QUALITYSEDIMENT

TRANSPORT

AQUATIC

CONNECTIVITY/

HABITAT

AQUATIC

INVASIVES

INFRASTRUCTURE/

COSTRECREATION

DO NOTHING

Low DO

High Nutrient

High Temps

Very Limited

Contaminants

Present

Very Limited(Maybe Flood

Passage)

Degraded habitat

Evaluation-May not be

barrier

Purpose/Function

Liability MostFailing

Ongoing Expense Flood Capacity

Some Boating

Some Fishing(tolerant species)

Portage/Safety

Issues

Winter Sports

DAM REPAIR

Low DO

High Nutrient

High Temps

Very Limited

ContaminantsPresent

Very Limited(Maybe Flood

Passage)

Degraded habitat

Evaluation-May not be

barrier

Purpose/Function

Liability

Ongoing Expense

Flood Capacity

Some Boating


Portage/SafetyIssues

Winter Sports

SPECIES

PASSAGE:

FISHWAY

Low DO

High Nutrient

High Temps

Limited

ContaminantsPresent

Improved formost species

(Nature-like

Fishway)

Degraded habitat

Potential Monitor /

Ability to

Close

Purpose/Function

Liability

Ongoing Expense

Flood Capacity

Some Boating



Winter Sports

SPECIES

PASSAGE:

ROCK RAMP

Low DO

High Nutrient

High Temps

ImprovedPotential -

Contaminant

Release

Improved SpeciesDiversity &

Habitat

Potential Monitor

(depends

on species)

Purpose/Function Retain

Impoundment

Some ongoingexpense

Kayak/Canoe Some Fishing

(tolerant species)


Winter Sports

FULL DAM

REMOVAL

Improved DO

Low Nutrient Low Temps

SignificantlyImproved

Potential -Contaminant

Release

SignificantlyImproved Species

Diversity &

Habitat

Potential Monitor

(dependson species)

No Liability

No Maintenance

One-timeExpense

Kayak/Canoe

Open Water Fishing(all species)


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Mequon-Thiensville Dam Village of Thiensville

Nature-Like Fishway Construction & Dam Repair

Photo Credit: Stantec, Inc.


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Mequon-Thiensville Fishway Fishway design

Series of pools and riffles

Meandering stream channel Less than 2% slope

Entrance near face of the dam, exitthrough former millrace entrance

Underwater camera/PIT tag readerdemonstrates passage success

Streaming live video atwww.ozaukeefishway.org


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Mequon-Thiensville Dam Repairs


7/27Making Connections Across Our Watersheds

Mequon-Thiensville Dam Fishway Construction

Underwater

Camera



Mequon-Thiensville Dam & Fishway Summary

Water Quality:

Low DO, High Nutrients, High Temps

Sediment Transport

Limited transport, contaminants found inimpoundment

Aquatic Connectivity/Habitat

Improved passage for most species,

impoundment habitat degraded Aquatic Invasives

Dam not full impediment, can monitor &close fishway if necessary

Infrastructure/Cost

Total approximate costs: $1,047,566 Ongoing fishway and dam maintenance,

liability

Recreation

Some boating, portage & safety issues,

some fishing in impoundment



Lime Kiln Dam Village of Grafton

Dam Removal and Restoration



Lime Kiln Dam Removal and Restoration

10

Photo Credit: Jerry Kiesow

Removal incorporated slow draw-down through historic raceway to

minimize sediment transport Used blasting to fracture the damstructure three separate blasts

Long-term restoration strategies(e.g. seeding and tree planting)

Planned educational signage Construction of pedestrian bridge



Lime Kiln Dam Removal and Restoration

11

Water Quality:

Improved DO, Low Nutrients, Low Temps Sediment Transport

Improved, no contaminants found inimpoundment


Improved passage & habitat for mostspecies, including Lake Sturgeon

Aquatic Invasives

Dam was not a full impediment

Infrastructure/Cost

Total approximate costs: $208,756 No ongoing liability or maintenance costs

Recreation

Canoing/Kayaking, improved fishing for allspecies Photo Credit: Sydney Struck



Bridge Street Dam Village of Grafton



Bridge St. Dam Potential Removal/Public Input

NOAA funds allowed option of removal or fishway construction

Public involvement process and April 2010 referendum resident

support for keeping the dam



Bridge Street Dam Fishway Design Design required close coordination with US Army Corps of Engineers, Wisconsin DNR,

Ozaukee County, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Village of Grafton, consultants, and local

residents

Design incorporates combination of buried box through dam at entrance andexposed naturalized channel daylighting upstream

AIS,



AIS Program Response Summary Round goby

Inconclusive ability to surpass existingdownstream natural Milwaukee River

gradient conditions or navigate fishway Predatory control increases as populations

of various species improve

Tiered Monitoring Approach and Plan

Sea lamprey

USFWS criteria incorporated into fishwaydesign

VHSv

Bridge Street Dam not a full barrier to fish /VHSv passage

Inconclusive evidence of VHSv prevalence inwatershed

Spread of VHSv by migrating fish far lesslikely than by human introduction

Aluminum

Stoplogs for

AIS Control

Given what we know to date, the most likely mechanism

to infect new waters is through human actions that

concentrate the virus in one location. Diffuse movement

of the virus by fish movements does not seem to be

moving the virus significantly."

"We also considered closing all of our fishways, but

decided that the risk was much lower than human

intervention vectors.

- Michigan DNR Fisheries and USACOE staff



Aquatic Invasive Species Conclusions WDNR issued permit for active fishway,

requiring:

Construction of trap and sort facility Only passage of lake sturgeon allowed

Fishway closure if impoundment water levelsrise within .25 of spilling over western open

channel wall

V. Grafton (dam owner) rejected permit in 2011

Take Home Messages

Develop, publish and adopt objective, science-basedcriteria for defining Great Lakes boundary dams

Recognize demonstrated value of passive fishwaydesigns for sustainable aquatic connectivity

Identify and involve regulatory decision-makersearly in the process

Pike photo



Bridge Street Dam Pending Dam Repairs Water Quality:


Sediment Transport

Limited transport, potential forcontaminants in impoundment


No passage for most native species,impoundment habitat degraded

Aquatic Invasives

Dam defined as barrier by WDNR,studies suggest select species passageunder flood conditions

Infrastructure/Cost

Approximate total fishway design costs:

Total estimated dam repair costs:$975,000

Ongoing dam maintenance costs &liability

Recreation

Limited boating, limited fishing in

impoundment, portage and safetyissues



Newburg Dam Village of Newburg

Dam Removal and Restoration



Newburg Dam Removal and Restoration

2009 WDNR dam safety inspection identified multiple structural issues with dam(abutment leakage, cracking, inoperable gates, etc.)

Full Dam Removal, Fishway, and Rock Ramp options considered

Village of Newburg Board voted unanimously for removal

Project included dam removal, bank stabilization, native seeding and trees, dryhydrant construction, installation of multiple amenities

Construction activities largely completed from August - November 2012



Midtown Dam/Rock Ramp Replacement (Red River, ND/MN Border)

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/streamhab/reconnecting_rivers.html

Original Midtown Dam Rock Ramp at 405 cfs

Rock Ramp at 1,640 cfs Rock Ramp at 2,560 cfs



Water Quality:


Sediment Transport

Improved, potential for contaminantrelease


Improved passage & habitat for most

species

Aquatic Invasives

Poential for AIS movement

Infrastructure/Cost

Rock ramp replacement with similar dam

height/widths from MN and ND -approximately $1.25 million

Some ongoing liability or maintenance costs

Recreation

Canoing/Kayaking, improved fishing for all

species

Species Passage - Rock Ramp

http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/ncer2011/Presentations/Friday/Watervi

ew%20C-D/am/0940_Conyngham.pdf



Newburg Dam Removal and Restoration



Newburg Dam Removal

Water Quality:

Improved DO, Low Nutrients, Low Temps

Sediment Transport

Improved, contaminants found & removedfrom impoundment


Improved passage & habitat for most

species

Aquatic Invasives

Dam was not a full impediment

Infrastructure/Cost

Total approximate costs: $714,489

No ongoing liability or maintenance costs

Recreation

Canoing/Kayaking, improved fishing for allspecies



Milwaukee River Mainstem Miles Reconnected

Lake Michigan to Mequon-Thiensville Fishway 20 miles

Mequon-Thiensville Fishway to Lime Kiln Dam 10 miles

Lime Kiln Dam to Bridge Street Dam 2 miles

32 miles

Bridge Street Dam to Newburg Dam 24.5 miles

Newburg Dam to Barton Dam (West Bend) 13 miles

37.5 miles


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Major Program Successes Newburg Dam Removal

Lime Kiln Dam Removal

M-T Dam Fishway Construction Bridge Street Fishway Engineering and Design

46 Road/Stream Crossing Reconstructions

133 Small-Scale Impediment Removals

Reconnection of 100 Stream Miles

Wetland and Floodplain Habitat Restoration

217+ Volunteers = 1,955 Volunteer Hours

Over 58,000 Labor Hours Created

Over $1.75 Million Invested in Ozaukee

County Infrastructure Improvements Education and Outreach to 6,800 Attendees

Agreements with 80 Private Landowners

National Awards and Recognition

Ongoing Social Media Outreach


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Fish Passage Program Partners National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration US Environmental Protection Agency Office of the Great Lakes WI Department of Natural Resources Milwaukee Community Service Corps US Geological Survey - Conte Anadromous Fish Laboratory US Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Wisconsin Chapter of Trout Unlimited Ulao Creek Partnership Riveredge Nature Center Mequon Nature Preserve Concordia University Marquette University University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Field Station University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point University of Wisconsin Extension Service University of Notre Dame Milwaukee Area Technical College Wisconsin Lutheran College Great Lakes Sportfisherman Club Milwaukee Riverkeeper

Ozaukee County Tourism Council Milwaukee Audubon Society Community High Schools River Revitalization Foundation Treasures of Oz Urban Ecology Center Ozaukee Washington Land Trust Ozaukee County Land Conservation

Partnership

Ozaukee County (multiple departments) Ozaukee County Volunteer Center Ozaukee County Master Gardeners City of Mequon Village of Thiensville Village of Newburg Village of Grafton Town of Grafton Town of Saukville Village of Fredonia Town of Fredonia Town of Cedarburg


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QUESTIONS?

Documents

Final Plenary Dammed if You Do--Illinois and Wisconsin Case Studies Andrew Struck