St. Charles City Council considers creating dam task force amid removal controversy

In response to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ recent study of the Fox River and recommendation to remove all nine dams in Kane County, St. Charles city officials are considering creating a task force to assist in their decision on whether to remove the St. Charles dam.

The Army Corps’ recommendation has sparked a great deal of controversy among residents and community groups for and against removal of the dams, with water levels, recreation, wildlife and property values among the main concerns on both sides.

At their Jan. 22 winter workshop, St. Charles City Council members discussed a resolution to create a task force to better assess the factors surrounding the removal of the dam and help the council make a better informed decision.

Mayor Lora Vitek introduced the item, saying the city may or may not eventually own the dam and the need for the task force comes from the lack of information the city has been presented. She said the need was made evident after conversations with representatives from the St. Charles Park District, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Army Corps of Engineers.

“We want to make sure we’re taking into account everyone’s economic and recreational impact on the river,” Vitek said.

City Administrator Heather McGuire said the IDNR owns the St. Charles dam, but she said representatives have indicated the IDNR doesn’t want to make any final decisions on its removal without the city’s buy-in and likely would want the city to take ownership of the dam if the city decides not to remove it.

McGuire said the task force will be asked to assess the economic, environmental and recreational impact of dam removal. She said they would be expected to engage with the public by establishing a website and holding public forums and will report back to the city and park district at minimum on a quarterly basis.

The task force would consist of nine members: five City Council representatives (three elected officials and two residents), three Park District representatives (one elected and two residents) and one representative from the River Corridor Foundation.

McGuire said Alderpersons Ryan Wirball, Paul Lencioni and Ryan Bongard would be appointed to represent the council on the task force. St. Charles resident representatives and representatives from the park district and RCF have not been announced.

RCF has an alternative plan to removing the dam known as the Active River Project, which it believes would improve water recreation and fish migration and create a city landmark and improved public space while not changing the river’s water levels.

Bongard asked why RCF, which supports its own plan for the dam, would have a representative on a task force attempting to make an objective decision.

“It just seems to me that you have a group that has gone pretty public about their intentions and where they want to go,” Bongard said. “Is that the right place to have a group that has come out so publicly?”

McGuire said the plans and information put out by RCF have been the focus of many community questions received by the city. She said the foundation will have one representative on the task force who will be able to weigh in on the information their organization has put out, solicited or maintained over the past decade.

McGuire said major considerations the city needs to explore include economic development impact, river recreation and alternatives such as the Active River Project. She said the task force will need to engage the appropriate personnel, consultants, public and experts to weigh in on these items.

“There are people that are very emotionally driven on all sides of this argument and I think all of them need to be heard before the City Council is actually tasked with making a decision on this,” McGuire said.

McGuire said costs incurred by the task force for engaging with consultants would be split with the park district and any contracts would have to be approved by the City Council. Final reports from the task force would be made by March 2025.

City officials met with the IDNR and Army Corps of Engineers representatives Jan. 17.

St. Charles Public Works Director Peter Suhr presented the council with an overview of the Army Corps’ recommendation, the Jan. 17 conversations and the factors surrounding the city’s decision.

Suhr said the study is a restart of an initial effort in 2015 and city staff did not receive a copy of the findings before they were released to the public. He said the Army Corps’ recommendation is mainly environmentally and safety driven and IDNR’s biggest concerns were over future liabilities (maintenance costs and safety concerns), not about recreation.

Suhr said Army Corps representatives told the city they are following the federal process and intend to continue with the proposed timeline. With the Army Corps’ public meeting phase complete, they are in an agency review phase and for the next several months will respond to questions and feedback collected during public meetings and surveys.

Suhr said the Army Corps is seeking a nonbinding letter of intent from the owners of the dams and IDNR already has provided that letter, allowing the Army Corps to continue with the process. Because the letter is nonbinding, the city can still provide IDNR with an alternate plan.

Suhr said IDNR was flexible about considering a partnership with the city and he said representatives were open to and interested in exploring alternatives, but said the city would have to make a real commitment to a plan by October.

Suhr said the IDNR confirmed it would not remove the dam without public engagement, but he said representatives indicated construction on the dams could start as early as 2026.

The council reached a consensus to bring the item forward to a committee meeting for recommendation and possible approval.