Wisconsin department demolishes aging dam

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is removing and recycling concrete that made up the West Silver Wetland Dam in Fort McCoy, a report by the Tomah Journal says. Work to remove the structure began in early July and is being done by a crew that specializes in returning streams to a natural state.

John Noble, a fisheries biologist with the Public Works Division Natural Resources Branch, says the original intent of the dam is unclear but it previously included a fish ladder to allow fish to move beyond it. Since then, the structure has failed and is no longer viable. Craig Erickson, a heavy equipment operator with the department, says the removal of the structure will allow fish to move freely throughout the stream.

The crew is using excavators with jackhammer attachments to break up concrete, which is hauled off site to Fort McCoy concrete recycling to be processed. A bulldozer and specialized tracked dump truck are used to travel across the terrain. Metals pulled from the structure will also be recycled, the report says.

Noble says once the entire dam structure is removed, the department will manage sedimentation built up by the dam and the floodplain area will be widened to include floodwater access into remnant ponds and supporting wetlands.