Alternatives to Horlick Dam topic of August 28 meeting at River Bend Nature Center

Alternatives for the Horlick Dam will be the focus of the August 28 Root River Planning meeting, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at River Bend Nature Center, 3600 N. Green Bay Road, Racine. The dam has inadequate spillway capacity to safely pass the 500-year flood and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is expected to require Racine County to improve the safety of the dam by increasing its spillway capacity or removing the dam. The following four conceptual alternatives will be presented at the meeting:

 Alternative 1--Modify the dam to enhance the spillway. This alternative would lower the entire dam spillway to allow safe conveyance of floodwaters during the 500-year flood. Under this alternative, fish would be able to pass over the dam during the 100 -year flood.

Alternative 2--Modify the current fishway in addition to Alternative 1, to provide full fish passage.  This alternative examines how the current abandoned fishway could be modified to allow fish passage during base flow (low flow) conditions. The gated fishway evaluated under this alternative would be a stair step structure approximately 160 feet in length.

Alternative 3—Complete notch of the current spillway to the natural river bottom-this alternative would remove a significant portion of the middle part of the Horlick dam and create a six-foot-wide opening at the streambed. Fish and water will move freely during most flow conditions.

Alternative 4—Full removal of the dam. . Only the left side  walkway and portion of the spillway would be retained under this alternative as they are somewhat integral with the natural rock on that side of the dam.