Tait Station Low Dam Removal Project

Project Purpose

The Miami Conservancy District (MCD) proposes to improve river safety, river access, water quality and
the aesthetics of the Great Miami River by removing the Tait Station low dam located at River Mile 76.6
near Dayton, Ohio. The Miami Conservancy District owns the low dam and will manage the project. The
low dam area is located within the MCD flood protection area; levees are present on both sides of the
river. The low dam does not provide flood protection.

The Tait Station Low Dam was originally constructed in 1935 as part of a coal-fired electric generating
plant. The power plant was mothballed in 1983 and subsequently demolished, so the dam no longer
serves its original purpose. Ownership of the dam was transferred from Dayton Power and Light to MCD
in 1990.

Project Benefits

The structure of the Tait Station Low Dam creates an extreme hazard for people using the river for
recreation. Removing the low dam will eliminate the danger of the hydraulic boil on the downstream side
which can trap and drown people who float over the low dam. When the river is low, the concrete
structure that is normally underwater can become exposed and appear to be safe for public use. Removing
the entire low dam will eliminate this occurrence. The abutments on either side of the low dam will be left
in place and serve as access points for people to fish or launch a watercraft.

The Tait Station low dam lowers the quality of the Great Miami River and threatens its ability to meet
state water quality standards. Removing the low dam will improve the distribution of fish and mussel
species. Removing the low dam will also improve water quality because the structure currently restricts
river flow and reduces water velocity which lowers oxygen levels, increases water temperature, and traps
and deposits sediment. Currently, the low dam traps nutrients and other pollutants upstream causing
lower water quality. Pre- and Post-project water quality monitoring is being collected to assess the impact
of removing the Tait Station low dam.

Current Conditions

The Tait Station Low Dam is located on the

Great Miami River approximately 0.25 mile
downstream from the Interstate 75 (I-75)
roadway bridge and 200 feet upstream of a
Conrail railroad bridge in Dayton, Ohio. The
low dam is approximately 600 feet in length.

The low dam is a concrete structure with

flashboards across the crest to maintain the
pool level above the concrete spillway.

Based on the original dam design, the dam

will impound approximately 10 feet of water
immediately upstream of the structure.
www.MCDWater.org
However, sediment deposition over time has built up to reduce the water impoundment depth to about 5
feet just upstream of the dam. In 2008, MCD allowed the bypass gates at the south end of the dam to be
opened to lower the pool while the City of Dayton replaced the Stewart Street Bridge. During that time,
some of the flashboards failed and many
are now in poor condition. The costs
estimate to repair the low dam is between
$5 and $8 Million.

In 2014 and 2015 MCD had to make

emergency repairs to the left riverbank
because the low dam was forcing water
into the levee and causing erosion. In 2015
additional flashboards were removed to
help alleviate water eroding the levee.

The approximately 800 cubic yards of

accumulated sediment behind the dam
were tested and found not to include high
concentrations of metals, volatile organic
compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic
compounds (SVOCs), or polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs).

Future Conditions

Because Hydraulic modeling of the Great Miami River after the dam is removed shows that the water
depths will be only slightly lower than current conditions indicate.

Project Objectives

The entire concrete and stop log structure, including the buried sheet piling and pipe piles installed to
minimize seepage under the low dam, would be removed. The south abutment would be left in place to
maintain the Great Miami Recreation Trail that runs over the abutment while the dam bypass gates would
be removed and the bypass channel plugged at each end. The north abutment consisting of a concrete slab
and slope protection will remain to provide a stable slope as well as protection of the existing interceptor
sewer that runs along the north embankment. Fill will be placed along the north bank to continue the
alignment of the riverbank.

Project Costs

The estimate cost for demolition of the dam is approximately $1.7 Million.

For questions or more information contact

Sarah Hippensteel Hall, PhD

Manager, Watershed Partnerships
shippensteel@MCDWater.org or (937) 223-1271

www.MCDWater.org