The sad truth is that the recent tragic deaths at the Glen D. Palmer Dam in Yorkville were preventable (“Perilous spot on Fox claims 3 more lives; Yorkville dam is at top of state’s repair-project list,” Page 1, May 29). The dam creates an unsafe condition, so much so that the deaths of 16 people at the site since 1960 have resulted in a plan to modify the dam to make it safer. But safer is not safe enough.
The Glen D. Palmer Dam, as well as most other dams in northeastern Illinois, pose a hazard to small water craft yet provide little benefit to the region.
It is time to remove these dams and make our waterways truly safe.
The Fox River is an increasingly popular site for canoeing and kayaking and will become even more popular as the population in the region increases. Every dam creates a hazard for canoeists and kayakers. Planned changes to the Glen D. Palmer Dam include a canoe chute that would allow canoeists and kayakers to bypass the dam. Would all of them use the chute? Would the less experienced ones be especially likely to miss the chute and find themselves struggling to navigate the substantial drop-off? And, in case loss of lives does not provide enough justification for dam removal, consider the fact that dams negatively impact the ecological well-being of the Fox River. There is a drastic decline in water quality and the richness of fish communities above the dam where the water is impounded, compared to below the dam, where the water is free flowing.
Dam removal has taken place or is in process at other parts of the Fox River. Four dams have already been removed, including YWCA Dam on Brewster Creek–a tributary to the Fox–and South Batavia Dam. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is actively looking at dam removal all along the Fox River.
Yet the Glen D. Palmer Dam remains, three more people have now been lost and funds are going to be spent to retrofit it in an effort to make it safer. The right response to these recent tragic deaths is to take the only action that will make this part of the Fox River safe enough:
Remove the dam.
