The City of London may soon decide against repairing the long-debated Springbank Dam, if council decides to follow the recommendation of a recent report.
The report, released on Thursday, suggests decommissioning the dam so it will not provide a water retention function, which would allow for a free-flowing river. The two other options considered prior to the report's release were fixing the dam, and keeping the dam in its current un-repaired condition.
The report was generated following consultation with the public, stakeholders, as well as Indigenous, First Nations, and Métis communities. In a survey, 70% of those consulted supported an unobstructed river, with 24% were in support of repairing and reconstructing the dam. The remaining 6% were in favour of a combination of options, or did not provide a response.
The report said not fixing the dam and allowing a free-flowing river will best address the concerns raised in the One River Environmental Assessment (EA), which was presented to the city's Civic Works Committee in September. The EA spanned from the dam to the Forks of the Thames and Harris Park, and identified the presence of ten at-risk species and endangered marine life.
The busted dam has long divided Londoners. Many rowers, kayakers, and dragonboat racers support the fix, while environmental groups and their allies have pointed to the river’s improved health as a reason for the dam to remain inoperable.
The dam has been out of operation since 2006 when work on a multi-million dollar upgrade began. During testing of the upgrade in 2008, the dam malfunctioned when bolts attaching one of the four new gates and its hinge snapped.
The malfunction left the dam inoperable and prompted the city to launch a $5-million lawsuit against the contractors in April 2009. The lawsuit was settled in the fall of 2015 with the city receiving $3.775-million, while no party admitted to being liable.
The new report recommending the dam's decommision will be presented to the Civic Works Committee for consideration January 9, 2018. A public participation meeting will also be held.
- With files from Miranda Chant
