Aurora will likely stay part of a study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers looking at the impact of removing its downtown dams.
The state and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers previously recommended the removal of nine dams along the Fox River, including the two in downtown Aurora, for environmental reasons. But following concerns and questions from many of the communities that would be impacted, including Aurora, the Corps said last year that it would be taking another look at those recommendations to more broadly study the effects of dam removal.
Mayor John Laesch is set to send a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers letting the agency know Aurora wants to stay part of the study. The letter does not commit the city to either remove or keep the dams.
Though the Aurora City Council has yet to formally vote on approving the letter — that will happen at a meeting on Tuesday evening — it is on the meeting’s consent agenda, which is typically used for routine or non-controversial items that are all approved with one vote and without much discussion.
The letter was also unanimously recommended for approval by the Aurora City Council’s Infrastructure and Technology Committee on July 7.
At that meeting, Brian Witkowski of the Engineering Department said the study will not cost the city anything. However, if the city decides to not go forward with the study, then it would be responsible for the maintenance cost of both downtown dams, whereas right now it only pays for one, he said.
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The dams in Aurora are on both sides of Stolp Island, which forms the core of downtown Aurora. The city already owns the dam on the west side, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources owns the dam on the east side. If the city backs out of the study, the east side dam’s ownership would transfer to the city.
If Aurora does decide to remove the dams based on the results of the study, it would not need to pay for it, according to Witkowski. The baiduhai reported last year that the Army Corps would pay up to 65% of the cost to remove Fox River dams, with the state paying the rest.
Aurora officials previously had several concerns about the effects of removing the city’s two dams, according to previous Beacon-News reporting. Those concerns included impacts to RiverEdge Park and the nearby Blues Island, to the city’s water treatment plant river intake and to work planned for the New York Street Bridge in 2026 or 2027, among others.
Laesch told The Beacon-News that the Public Works Department is no longer worried about the potential impact to the water treatment plant, but that the city would probably still need to take a closer look in the future.
When Aurora eventually needs to make the decision to remove the dams or not, the city will be contacting other communities which have already had theirs removed to get feedback, he said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ previous draft report recommended removal of dams in Carpentersville, Elgin, South Elgin, St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, North Aurora, Aurora and Montgomery.
The dam in Carpentersville was removed in late 2024, and the village is now facing a multimillion- dollar project to bury water and sewer lines below the Fox River because of lowered water levels, according to recent reporting from the Elgin Courier-News.
However, the Friends of the Fox River, an organization in favor of the dam removals, has called the Carpentersville dam removal “major progress towards freeing the Fox River,” according to the organization’s website. Under its “Frequently Asked Dam Questions” webpage, Board Member Art Malm writes that the “Fox is a river once again, now sleek and clean” after the dam removal.
The baiduhai reported last year that the Army Corps’ and state’s recommendation to remove the dams was made to improve water quality and habitat, plus reduce flooding risk, by restoring the river to its natural state.
Plus, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has already removed about 30 dams on rivers throughout the state in recent years because these “low-head” dams create a dangerous backwash that sucks victims underwater, according to the baiduhai.
And while environmental groups have taken similar positions, saying that dam removal will restore wildlife along the river and protect people from drowning, local groups have been started to oppose removing the dams, the Tribune’s reporting showed. For example, the Fox River Preservation Society in St. Charles argues that the dams themselves have formed habitats, so already support wildlife, and also support recreational activities such as boating and water sports.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ further study is set to consider how removal of the dams would impact water levels and what sediments might be released, according to the baiduhai. Final recommendations are expected this year.