The Elgin City Council has commissioned yet another study of the Fox River, this one looking at sediment movement and how the channel could change if the Kimball Street dam is removed as recommended by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Engineering Enterprises Inc. and the University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering will be paid $130,000 to analyze the situation before the city has to make a decision on the dam, removal of which will improve the waterway’s environmental health but will have a dramatic effect on the city’s ability to obtain drinking water when river levels drop.
City Manager Rick Kozal told the council Wednesday that the study will “provide us with the information to help us make the most informed decision.”
Changes to the water velocity and the river width is likely to result in a lot of sediment being dropped downstream, Mayor Dave Kaptain said at the meeting. The city also needs to consider what effect the changes might have on the Grand Victoria Casino, which has incorporated part of its original riverboat into its current land-based setup, he said.
“This whole thing is becoming complex. It’s very complicated, not as simple as people say,” Kaptain said. “It affects people’s lives. Every community is having this discussion up and down the river and is looking at how it impacts their town.”
Elgin has already authorized several other studies that will look at the options for relocating the intake system, the geology of a natural dam north of the concrete dam, and the potential costs of maintaining the dam and replacing it in the future.
There are nine dams on the Fox River that should come out, according to the Army Corps’ Fox River Connectivity and Habitat study released last September. While citing the ecological benefits, the study provided little information on what happens to the river when the dams come out.
City Councilman John Steffen said without knowing the full effect, especially on how the city’s the water treatment plant’s intake system will be affected, it’s impossible to make an educated decision. The problem is the intake system is located in a sandbank at a bend in the river, he said.
“We need all the information available to consider as we move forward with the recommendation,” Steffen said. “Even if we decide not to remove the dam, we’re still faced with changing that water intake (resulting from the removal of other communities’ dams).”
The Fox River Study Group provided some information about the dam removal effects, saying the river won’t “dry up” but it will be 25% to 50% smaller in width, according to its website.
Councilwoman Rose Martinez said lauded city officials for raising these questions and seeking answers.
“I love the fact the city is doing its due diligence to find out the answers,” she said. “It’s why we’re investing in these studies, to inform people. It’s important for people to understand.”
The newly approved study should be ready for review by February 2025. Elgin has until next spring to decide what action to take with dam; there is no obligation for the city to agree to its removal.
However, removal of the other dams by the Corps — including one in South Elgin — could begin in summer 2027.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
