Tait Station Dam Removal

The Tait Station Dam, on the Great Miami River in Ohio, was constructed in 1935 to provide cooling water for power generation. But the powerplant it served was closed in 1983. Since then, it had become apparent the dam represented a detriment to aquatic ecology of the area, and an eminent threat to public safety. In 2017, the Tait Station Dam Removal Project was conditionally approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as a permittee-responsible mitigation (PRM) solution for unavoidable stream impacts associated with roadway improvements in southwest Ohio.

Our role included delivering a full mitigation solution, providing services such as modeling, mitigation planning, design engineering, permitting, construction administration/oversight, and final restoration. Our role also tasked us with providing five years (2018-2023) of post-construction compliance services, including physical and biological monitoring of the restored river reach.

With the dam now removed, the site is returning to its previous, unhindered, aquatic ecological state. A “riffle” added to the river enhances fish habitat and is helping to expand fishing and other riverine recreation activities. The project also eliminated an eminent threat to public health and safety by removing the dam and its legacy infrastructure. Our client (Ohio Department of Transportation) was awarded over 9,400 LF of ‘pooled’ stream mitigation credits for the PRM solution, representing over $2.4 million of stream mitigation credits saving the State of Ohio approximately $700,000 in future mitigation fees.