Dam Removals

Why Dams are a Problem

Our fish can’t jump. Midwest fish need to move upstream to find food and spawning habitat, but dams block them. This cuts off habitat and makes it harder for wildlife to thrive.

Dams also:

  • Trap sediment and change the river bottom

  • Slow water and turn rivers into warm, low-oxygen pools

  • Create dangerous currents downstream that can trap and drown paddlers, even at small dams

Why We Support Dam Removal

Dam removal is one of the best ways to restore a river quickly because it:

  • Reconnects habitat so fish and mussels can move upstream again

  • Improves biodiversity by opening up more of the river system

  • Makes the river safer for people using the water

Friends of the Chicago River has been working on dam removal for more than 20 years.

Our Dam Removal Journey

  • Early 2000s: Friends called the dangers dams present to the attention of then Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn, who established the Illinois Dam Removal Initiative.

  • 2015: Winnetka Road Dam (Glencoe) removed.

  • 2018: River Park Dam (Chicago) removed.

  • 2021: Mill Creek culvert fish passage (Palos) completed. Five new fish species moved into the creek soon after.

  • 2024: Tam O’Shanter Golf Course Dam (Niles) removed.

  • Next: Chick Evans Golf Course Dam (Morton Grove) planned removal next