The Creek Bend Dam was located on a property recently purchased by the Kane County Forest Preserve District. The IDNR had determined that the dam was a barrier for fish movement in the 52 square mile Ferson Creek Watershed and recommended removal or modification to restore fish passage. The Forest Preserve District was concerned about stream bank erosion and aesthetics of the dewatered impoundment upstream, so the TAI project team, working with both County departments, developed a solution in which the 4 foot high dam would be demolished to its foundation and a rock ramp would be constructed that would effectively lower the upstream impoundment by 2 feet. The project also included partial removal of a smaller, boulder dam 800 feet upstream of the Creek Bend Dam. This additional work was completed after the TAI project team’s hydraulic analysis indicated that the upstream dam, despite its size and configuration, could become a barrier to fish once the downstream tail water was lowered during the Creek Bend Dam rock ramp construction.

 The project team prepared the construction drawings and specifications, permits to the USACE and IDNR-OWR, and facilitated several meetings between the County Forest Preserve District and the County Building & Environmental Management Department. Project construction was completed by Biotechnical Erosion Control, Ltd (BECL). The project was funded 75% by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and 25% through Kane County.