The removal of Roaring River Dam is underway, a multi-organizational stream restoration effort that will reconnect aquatic species and make recreation safer near the low head dam that is at risk of failing and no longer needed as a fish barrier.
The dam is located at river mile 4.9 on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District leased property associated with Cordell Hull Lake.
The Nashville District conducted an environmental assessment from 2016-2017 pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act and other regulatory guidance, determining the dam’s removal posed no significant impact to the Roaring River ecosystem.
The Corps’ assessment paved the way for Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) to remove the dam in partnership with the Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and the Southern Aquatic Resources Partnership.
Work crews notched the dam July 31 to lower the water impounded upstream of the dam, and then began removing the structure August 1.
The crew is peeling back the concrete cap and hauling it off along with the gabion baskets with rocks underneath the structure. Some of the material will be reused to build up eroded areas near the site.
The project is expected to be complete August 4.