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General News: Moodna Dam Removal Planned
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| The dam as it looked in 2006, before the right side of it was breeched by storm waters in 2007. Photo by Simon Gruber. |
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| Water flows in Moodna as it passes under the bridge on Forge Hill Road. Photo by Simon Gruber. |
April 28, 2009
Water may soon be flowing more naturally through Moodna Creek, according to a group that works to restore rivers throughout the United States.
Last week, Brian Graber, a representative of the national organization, American Rivers, joined Simon Gruber, the coordinator of the local Moodna Watershed Coalition, and Marty Melchior, an engineer, at a public meeting to talk about how the dam will be removed.
The dam, which sits behind the old Lafayette Paper Mill on Forge Hill Road, is one of hundreds that have been built along the Moodna Creek but because of its location it has been given a high priority for removal. (Take an online tour of the Lafayette Paper Mill ruins here.)
According to Gruber, kayakers who enter the Moodna from the Hudson River are blocked by the dam. He also pointed out that the dam is on the edge of land owned by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, the Knox Headquarters. He said that several environmental groups, including the Trust for Public Land, have been working to create a greenway from the Knox Headquarters to the banks of the Moodna. The restoration of the natural flow of the stream in this area would only enhance its appeal, he said.
The removal of the dam has been studied for three years with grant money provided by the Hudson River Estuary Program. The impact of the dam on the flow of the water was examined and found that the stream had been split into two channels just above the dam and that the banks had been extremely eroded by the unnatural flow of water.
In 2006, a large portion of the dam was breached, allowing fish to migrate more freely up the stream, but, according to Brian Graber of American Rivers, the sediment traps debris that includes nutrient-rich plants and algae that the fish need to thrive.
Mary Melchior explained that removal of the dam is relatively simple, a two-day project. “We’re going to take the dam off,” he said, “stabilize the bank and let the river do what it wants to do.” What it wants to do naturally, he continued, is meander, a means by which the water dissipates energy and avoids building up the level of force that destroys the banks. To re-inforce the creek banks, the project developers intend to plant trees.
Simon Gruber explained that the only obstacle to the dam removal is obtaining the grant money. The group had obtained funds from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation but the owners of the paper mill refused to sign off on the project and the grant expired.
The owners of the mill have now signed an agreement and the grant application has to be submitted again, he said. The cost of the dam removal is $25,000, a small sum compared to other projects, according to Graber of American Rivers. The restoration of the banks of the stream will cost another $25,000, he said, and repair of another 300 feet of the Moodna banks downstream could run from $60 to 100,000.
Comments:
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the river already flows naturally. as stated, the river has found its way around the dam. at this point no water actually flows over the dam, removing it will not change the water flow. as for kayaking, when the water is high you can make it to the new windsor filter plant and maybe a bit beyond. at no time is it possible to make it to the dam. if you want to restore the river i think that you would have to start with the dam on mill st. but then you will have another one right up the road on 32.
in order to make the river go in its previous direction there will need to be considerable work up stream to change its current course back to how it once was. why?
posted by thom munterich on 05/05/09 at 3:38 PM
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