SEYMOUR, Ind. – Indiana American Water (INAW) has announced it has secured all permits required to begin demolition of the low-head river dam on the East Fork of White River near the company’s water treatment facility on North County Road 760E, just south of East Reddington Street in Seymour.
The Rockford Dam, which spans approximately 450 feet across the width of the river, originally provided adequate water levels for supplying surface water to the adjacent water treatment facility. The dam is no longer needed since Indiana American Water now uses groundwater as the only source for its Seymour system.
Dan Cristiani Excavating LLC, in Clarkesville, has been contracted to remove the dam. The work is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
As a safety measure and in an abundance of caution, INAW is asking the public to refrain from boating or kayaking in or near that area and is also asking citizens not to stop along nearby roads to watch the decommissioning of the dam. No public viewing site for the work being performed is available.
“We pride ourselves in being good stewards of the environment. After we switched our Seymour water treatment system to source water from wells instead of the river in the late 1990s, we sought input from state and conservation organizations that provided us insights on the value of removing dams to improve the river’s aquatic ecosystem,” said Wade Amos, INAW Director of Operations.
Removing the dam will improve safety for recreational users of the river by eliminating recirculating currents typically associated with low-head dams. The project will also enhance habitat and aquatic species biodiversity and restore the natural river ecosystem.
Indiana American Water serves approximately 22,000 people in the Seymour area.
