Discussion over the fate of the St. Charles dam on the Fox River continued at a meeting of the Fox River Dam Joint Task Force on Thursday, with new steps taken toward gathering additional data about the effects dam removal would have on the river.
In December and January, the task force and staff members from the city and park district evaluated seven consultants to assist with this fact-finding project. As of Thursday, they have narrowed the search to three finalists. They plan to have the consultant chosen by the next task force meeting, set for April 3.
The goal of additional study on the effects removal of the dam would have on the river and surrounding area is to provide comprehensive information for the city. The task force is not a decision-making body, member Brian Pohrte reiterated at the meeting, and the St. Charles City Council will ultimately vote on the dam’s fate.
“We’re not here to take out the dam,” St. Charles Ald. Paul Lencioni, who is also a member of the task force, said about the group at the meeting. “Quite a few of us have no interest in seeing changes.”
St. Charles created the task force a year ago to help gather additional information for the city as it decides whether or not to remove the dam.
At a meeting in November, St. Charles City Administrator Heather McGuire described the plan to involve a consultant in fact-finding and data collection about the river, according to the meeting’s minutes.
Thursday’s meeting included a few details as to what the study would look at, such as water depth and flow in the river, which might provide more detailed information for the city before it finalizes a decision.
The debate over the potential removal of the dam in St. Charles is part of a discussion going on up and down the Fox River in the Aurora area focusing on the future of dams in the river.
Many of the dams were built in the 1800s to run flour mills or sawmills that no longer exist, according to past reporting. The dams along the river have also come under scrutiny in recent years after causing a number of drownings and near-fatal accidents, according to officials with the Fox River Study Group.
In 2023, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in a draft report recommended removing nine dams along the Fox River, including the dam in St. Charles, as well as dams in Carpentersville, Elgin, South Elgin, Geneva, Batavia, North Aurora, Aurora and Montgomery.
The goal of dam removal would be to restore the river to its natural state, which proponents say would improve water quality, make it a better habitat for animals and lower the risk of flooding. It’s also expected to significantly lower water levels.
The Army Corps would pay up to 65% of the cost of each dam’s removal on the Fox River, according to past reporting, and the rest would come from the state.
The Army Corps has pushed back its timeline to complete further study on removing the river’s dams, a spokesperson for St. Charles said on Friday. They would be looking for confirmation from the city about whether they want the dam removed by early 2026, and to begin the actual implementation in 2027 at the earliest.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources owns the dam, according to the city spokesperson, and the department has said previously it will wait for the city’s decision before moving forward with any changes to the dam. IDNR did not respond to The Beacon News’ request for comment.
“It might seem like this is going really slow, but actually, in my experience with big things like this, we’re going relatively fast,” Pohrte said at the meeting. “We can’t just rush through this process.”
On Thursday, a number of residents – many of whom live along the river in St. Charles – expressed concern with removing the dam. They raised questions about the effect on property values, suggested alternative plans the city could take – like categorizing the dam as recreational so it could be preserved or installing turbines for energy – and expressed their concerns as to whether dam removal would reduce water levels and adversely affect human use of the river.
Task force members encouraged concerned St. Charles residents to contact their City Council members, along with state and federal representatives, since the task force does not have decision-making power.
The cities along the Fox River impacted by the proposed dam removals have responded in varying ways to the possibility.
The dam in Carpentersville, for example, was removed in September. Combined with a drought in the area in October, the area experienced very low water levels, but conditions improved later on, according to past reporting.
On Thursday, task force members also emphasized that leaving the dam in St. Charles exactly as it is or total removal are not necessarily the only options.
The city plans to continue the studies and discussion of the future of the dam before bringing the matter to the City Council, the city spokesperson said on Friday.
If a city votes not to remove its dam, it would have to take over ownership and upkeep of the dam.
However, as debate continues in St. Charles, the task force said employing a consultant to gather additional data on the river has long-term benefits for the city, no matter the outcome.
“Even if this dam issue wasn’t happening,” Pohrte said on Thursday, “a lot of the information we’re going to collect here is going to be relevant to the city and to the park district, as far as just planning for things we’re looking to do in the future – improvements on the river, different recreational choices, how we spend money in the city in the future beyond the scope of just one little structure right here.”
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com