After three years of paperwork, proposing, and planning work, the Friends of Alum Creek & Tributaries (FACT) watershed organization was successful in having two lowhead dams on Alum Creek removed.

On October 6, the lowhead dam at Academy Park-Wolfe Park was breached by FACT's contracted engineering and environmental consulting firm Burgess & Niple, Inc. and subcontractor, The Righter Company. This was the first such dam to be removed from Franklin County and the historic accomplishment was made possible through FACT’s initiative.

The second dam was removed between Nelson Park and Bexley in November.

The dams were first notched to accommodate the insertion of temporary pipes along the banks to allow continued creek water flow and to lower the pool above the dam. A gravel ramp and causeway were then placed in the creek's channel bed—just above the dam—giving access to construction vehicles.

Demolition work was completed within two weeks for each location. Majority of the existing rocks were recycled along the nearby shore line and strategically placed within the waterway.

The two lowhead dams were removed primarily to improve the ecosystem; in addition, their elimination will prevent drowning hazards, improve other safety issues, restore the stream to a more natural condition and increase recreational access.The Ohio EPA conducted studies in 1996 and 2000 and found that areas of Alum Creek near Columbus and Bexley do not meet water quality specifications. Because the water current slows down behind the dams, organic material in the water settles to the river bottom and decays, resulting in sharp reductions in dissolved oxygen in the stream. These stagnant areas also produce an unnatural build-up of silt and sediment which creates muddy, murky conditions, making it difficult for fish, microinvertebrates, and other aquatic life to thrive. Immediately below the lowhead dams, fast currents can produce a dangerous vortex. Lowhead dams have contributed to several deaths on Alum Creek. Once a person gets stuck in the undertow, it is virtually impossible to get out. These lowhead dams were built around the 1930’s to create small ponds for recreation. They were not designed to control floodwaters.

FACT held an on-site celebration at Academy Park on Oct. 14.  About 40 attendees, including many Sierra Club folks, attended while large equipment worked excavating in the background.  Guest speakers included Russ Gibson, Ohio EPA’s Nonpoint Source Section Manager; Columbus City Councilmember Priscilla Tyson;  and Alan McKnight, Director of Columbus Recreation and Parks.

Columbus City Council honored FACT on Nov. 10 with a city resolution recognizing our environmental stewardship and complimenting the continued volunteer work—work that has not cost the city or taxpayers. Councilmember Tyson had a feature story about FACT’s project in her quarterly “Tyson Corner” fall newsletter. The City of Columbus, the City of Bexley, and the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORP) have supported FACT's project with in-kind assistance.

The physical dam removals are the final phase of a 3-year $250,000 U.S. EPA Section 319 Nonpoint Source Implementation grant project* administered by Ohio EPA. Earlier phases included data collection, engineering, planning, and public meetings. As part of this project FACT volunteers have been working along the Alum Creek corridor removing hundreds of honeysuckle bushes and other invasive species and planting many new native trees, shrubs and vegetation.  Still to be done are follow-up data collection and water quality monitoring.

Based on the results of other dam removals, the habitat should recover swiftly. From the nearby Academy/Wolfe swinging bridge, we observed ducks paddling upstream on Alum Creek, unimpeded by the former structures. Riffles—shallow flowing currents through small rocks and pebbles—were evident already in the waterway’s bed adding to the positive dynamics.

FACT is a not-for-profit volunteer-based organization serving as the environmental steward for the Alum Creek watershed within Franklin and Delaware Counties.  For specific background information and materials (maps, design, photos, videos) about FACT's dam removals and watershed projects, visit www.friendsofalumcreek.org.

*To be eligible, grant recipients must contribute at least 40 percent local matching funds. The local match may consist of cash or in-kind contributions or services.