The Fox River will soon flow freely from Algonquin to Elgin.
Crews will begin work on a $1.2 million project to remove the Carpentersville Dam this month. The project, which will be finished in November, will create a 10.2-mile unimpeded flow of the Fox River — the longest free-flowing stretch through Kane County.
“May this be the model and lead domino in a movement that carries river restoration efforts progressively downstream,” said Friends of the Fox River President Gary Swick at a ribbon-tying event Wednesday to celebrate the start of the project.
Friends of the Fox River representatives joined officials from the Kane County Forest Preserve District and the village of Carpentersville in a ribbon-tying ceremony to signify the upstream and downstream flow of the Fox River coming together with the dam’s removal.
Kane County Forest Preserve Commission President Chris Kious rips a piece of paper with the word “dam” on it Wednesday to symbolize the removal of the Carpentersville Dam.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Officials said a free-flowing river will lead to its improved health. Other portions of the river, where dams have been removed, have seen an increase in the number and species of fish in the river.
“All the science shows us that by putting it back the way it was, it actually is better for everything overall,” said Kane County Forest Preserve Commissioner Jarett Sanchez, who kayaked from a boat launch upstream to the event.
Removing the dam will also allow people to kayak or canoe safely without worrying about portaging around a dam.
John Skillman, Carpentersville village president, from left, Gary Swick, president of the Friends of the Fox River, and Kane County Forest Preserve Commission President Chris Kious celebrate during a ribbon-tying ceremony at the Carpentersville Dam on Wednesday.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Kane County forest preserve officials outlined the project, which involves building a causeway to divert the river’s flow to the eastern edge. Crews will then take out the 10-foot-tall dam sections at a time, allowing for short breaks for the river to settle as it adapts to the new flow.
“This is a very long process. The dam is not going to come out in one day,” said Jen Rooks-Lopez, director of planning and land protection for the Kane County Forest Preserve District.
Carpentersville Village President John Skillman welcomed the dam’s removal, noting the village is building a new park along the riverfront near Washington Street south of the dam. The 3-acre park will be completed in the fall of 2025, Skillman said.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Kane County Forest Preserve District approved a contract for the dam’s removal in July. The forest preserve district owns the dam and the entire shoreline on both sides of the river for two miles upstream.
In 2015, the IDNR and forest preserve district entered an agreement to remove the Carpentersville Dam and the Fabyan Causeway at the Fabyan Forest Preserve in Geneva. IDNR agreed to pay the cost to remove the dam and the causeway, capping both projects at $3.5 million.
Removing the Fabyan Causeway was completed in November 2019 for $1.4 million. Work on the Carpentersville Dam was to follow in 2019, but various permitting rounds, engineering, regulatory approvals, and the pandemic created delays.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has recommended removing all nine Fox River dams in Kane County, from Carpentersville to Montgomery, to restore the river’s natural wildlife habitat and improve water quality.