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The city of Hamilton has received $2.45 million from the state\u2019s H2Ohio Rivers Program to start removing the Hamilton Low Dam, which has been a safety problem for years and is tied to past drownings. That kicks off the first phase of a larger $7.66 million of the Lower Great Miami River Restoration Initiative, a plan to make the Great Miami River safer, healthier and better for recreation, while the city and its partners work to secure the rest of the funding.<\/p>\n
Nick Graham – Photographer\/Videographer<\/a><\/p>\n Hamilton has received $2.44 million from the state\u2019s H2Ohio Rivers Program to start removing the Hamilton Low Dam, which has been a safety problem for years and is tied to past drownings.<\/p>\n That kicks off the first phase of the Lower Great Miami River Restoration Initiative, a plan to make the Great Miami River safer, healthier, and better for recreation, while the city and its partners work to secure the rest of the funding.<\/p>\n The city of Hamilton and the Miami Conservancy District are leading the effort, with engineering plans now estimating a total project cost of $7.66 million, according to city officials. Hamilton City Manager Craig Bucheit said the Great Miami River is \u201cone of Hamilton’s greatest natural resources.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor years, we’ve talked about increasing recreational opportunities and driving riverfront development, but a major concern has always been the danger created by the existing dam,\u201d Bucheit said in a statement. \u201cWhat’s particularly exciting about this project is the opportunity to replace that structure in a way that improves safety, increases recreation, and helps restore the river.\u201d<\/p>\n Removing the dam will open nearly 34 miles of free\u2011flowing river, improve water quality, and eliminate a long\u2011recognized safety hazard tied to multiple deaths and rescues, including the drowning of a 28-year-old woman in July 2025, according to MCD.<\/p>\n The project will rebuild a natural riverbed, improve habitat, cool and oxygenate the water, and maintain an upstream pool for rowing to sustain rowing during most days of the year. These improvements support Hamilton\u2019s broader riverfront plans and reflect Ohio EPA data showing the river is healthier downstream of the dam than upstream.<\/p>\n MaryLynn Lodor, general manager of Miami Conservancy District, said this is \u201ca defining moment\u201d for the Great Miami River in Hamilton.<\/p>\n \u201cBy removing the lowest barrier on the river, we’re not just improving one location, we’re unlocking the potential of the entire river system,\u201d Lodor said in a statement.<\/p>\n Located south of the city\u2019s downtown, the Hamilton Low Dam is the first barrier a fish or paddler would hit on the Great Miami River coming up from the Ohio River. Removing it will open about 33.7 miles of river that will once again flow freely all the way to the Ohio River.<\/p>\n The first phase of the project is \u201cintentionally designed\u201d as the first step in a larger plan for this stretch of river, according to MCD. Just upstream, Miami Conservancy\u2019s Two Mile Dam is also set to be removed or modified, through an Ohio Department of Transportation project beginning in fiscal year 2027 and creating \u201ca rare opportunity to improve a longer stretch of river at once,\u201d MCD said.<\/p>\n Built for recreational boating in the late 1980s, the Hamilton Low Dam turned \u201ca free-flowing stretch of river into a slow-moving, pond-like pool, making the water warmer, slower-moving, and lower in oxygen than a healthy river should be,\u201d MCD said.<\/p>\n The project is designed to remove the dam structure, make the river safer for everyone who uses it and rebuild a natural riverbed with gentle rapids and deeper pools, according to MCD.<\/p>\n Doing so will let sand and gravel move naturally downstream again, the way they would in an unblocked river and cool the water and add more oxygen back into it, making it healthier for fish and other wildlife, MCD said.<\/p>\n Low dams like this one are known to be dangerous because of the strong, swirling currents that form just below them.<\/p>\n Removing it will get rid of a hazard that has cost lives and make the river safer for paddlers, anglers, and the first responders who rescue them, according to MCD. It also will allow boats and paddlers travel straight through instead of having to carry their boats around the dam.<\/p>\n The project also supports Hamilton’s broader plans for its riverfront: better river access, stronger trail connections and a bigger role for Hamilton within the Great Miami Riverway.<\/p>\n The project involves several organizations. Hamilton is the lead applicant, handling the grant, contracts and finances. MCD, which owns the dam, is responsible for engineering, permitting, construction, and long\u2011term river management.<\/p>\n Engineering and architecture firm Burgess & Niple<\/a> is contributing expertise in dam removal and river restoration. MetroParks of Butler County and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is providing experience from other H2Ohio projects. The Hamilton Community Foundation is focused on community engagement and additional funding support.<\/p>\n \u201cWe appreciate and thank \u2026 all of our partners for their support and for helping us secure the funding to move this project forward,\u201d Bucheit said.<\/p>\n Partners are working to find the rest of the money for the project via programs like the Ohio EPA\u2019s WRRSP, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, state funding, and local donations. Under a 1987 agreement, the city of Hamilton has also committed to covering any costs not met by grants or partner support, ensuring the project can be completed.<\/p>\n With H2Ohio funding secured, the project is moving ahead with final design and permitting. Construction is targeted for 2027\u20132028, once design, permits and remaining funding are in place.<\/p>\n Phase I will kick off a longer-term effort to restore the lower Great Miami River, reconnecting habitat, improving water quality, making the river safer and strengthening Hamilton’s identity as a riverfront community.<\/p>\n “This project helps reconnects a region to its river,” Lodor said. “It restores ecological function, protects lives, and creates new opportunities for people to experience the river. It’s an investment in the future of Hamilton and Southwest Ohio.”<\/p>\n The city of Hamilton has received $2.45 million from the state\u2019s H2Ohio Rivers Program to start removing the Hamilton Low Dam, which has been a safety problem for years and is tied to past drownings. That kicks off the first phase of a larger $7.66 million of the Lower Great Miami River Restoration Initiative, a plan to make the Great Miami River safer, healthier and better for recreation, while the city and its partners work to secure the rest of the funding.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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