Removing dams could cost $1.5M

[ Originally published on: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 ]

GREENFIELD -- It will most likely cost between $1 million and $1.5 million to remove two deteriorated dams from the Green River.

Preliminary designs for the removal of the Wiley & Russell dam at Meridian Street and the Mill Street dam were shared with an interested public last week.

Preliminary plans should be complete by July.

The project, which is the brainchild of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was proposed in 2008 after the group studied conditions of the dams and river over an eight-year period. In 2008, the local watershed council took over the project to lead it to completion with the town, which owns the dams.

The plan is to remove the two dams to restore the Green River to the natural-flowing river it was 200 years ago, before the dams were built for industry, according to project coordinators.

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