The fate of the St. Charles Dam will remain undecided for at least another year as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pushes out its deadlines.
In the meantime, the city will solicit consultants to help guide their decision on whether to remove the structure.
St. Charles City Administrator Heather McGuire and Assistant Director of Public Works Chris Adesso late last month presented a proposal for soliciting professional services related to the dam based on requests from the St. Charles Dam Task Force.
The proposed scope of services includes providing professional consulting advice, cost analysis, measurements, studies, sampling, modeling, permitting and other services as needed to assess the environmental, recreational and economic impacts removing the dam would have on the Fox River.
“The idea is that once we pick a team (of consultants), we can ask them to do whatever we choose,” Adesso said.
After a consultant team is chosen and contracts are approved, work is not expected to start until the winter of 2025 with no clear timeline for completion.
McGuire said the Army Corps has pushed the deadline for when the city is expected to make a final decision into 2026, though it is not clear what their intentions will be by then or whether they will have adequate funding to continue.
“We are no longer being held to that May 2025 timeline,” McGuire said. “So I think this gives us a real opportunity to choose what we are evaluating and make sure we are doing that and taking our time to do that without being rushed by that May timeline. … I would say we have at least the next calendar year to do this.”
Dam removal has been a topic of discussion in St. Charles since the Army Corps released a study that recommended removal of nine Fox River dams in Kane County, including the St. Charles Dam.
In response to the Army Corps’ study, St. Charles and the St. Charles Park District formed the St. Charles Dam Task Force in February with the goal of helping city council members make an informed decision.
The task force originally was expected to meet monthly until March 2025, when it was to issue a final report to the city council.
In July, the Army Corps announced plans to conduct additional analysis of the river, pushing back the commitment deadline indefinitely.
The task force last met Aug. 1, its fourth meeting. Members identified key questions about the dam and prepared to begin engaging with consultants. It is scheduled to meet again Nov. 7.
The task force includes three aldermen and two residents representing the city, three representatives from the park district and one member from the River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles. It’s tasked with engaging with the public and consultants to assess the environmental, recreational and economic impacts dam removal would have on the city.
Previous meetings can be viewed on the task force’s playlist on the city of St. Charles’ YouTube page. For more information, answers to frequently asked questions and to view public records, visit the task force’s website.
