The City of Franklin and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation will begin demolition of the City’s Harpeth River Lowhead Dam on Wednesday, at 11:00 a..m. The project will remove the only barrier on the Harpeth River, a lowhead dam, and improve fish habitat and water quality. The project will also improve public access and enhance recreational opportunities on the Harpeth for fishing and paddling.
Earlier this year the National Fish Habitat Partnership named this project in their 2012 10 Waters to Watch List.
The Department of Interior also named this project as a model of America’s Great Outdoors River Initiative to conserve and restore key rivers across the nation, expand outdoor recreational opportunities and support jobs in local communities.
The total cost of the project is $870,000, with $350,000 in federal grants to the Harpeth River Watershed Association from collaborative funding programs of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership, and the National Fish Habitat Partnership for projects to improve fish habitat. The project is expected to be complete in fall of 2012. The Harpeth River Watershed Association is installing a Dam Cam that will tape the entire demolition process.
To see the the Dam Cam go www.harpethriver.org/damcam. This will enable the public to view this project while the area is off limits as a construction site. Water recreation and canoe/kayak launch is temporarily prohibited during construction.
Other partners in the project include U.S Geological Survey, National Fish Habitat Partnership and SARP, Vulcan Materials, Beaver Creek Hydrology and other non-profit partners.