Originally constructed in 1884, the Thompson Mill dam on the Big Blue River burst last month. The town council is moving forward with its removal.
Daily Journal File Photo
EDINBURGH — A month after the Thompson Mill dam burst, the Edinburgh Town Council approved its removal pending legal review of a federal grant.
The $560,000 grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will remove the low-head dam from Big Blue River at no cost to the town. The Thompson Mill Dam burst the weekend of Oct. 16, which prompted the town to look at options for the landmark’s future.
“If you look at the dam on a daily basis, it’s getting worse. And when it lets go, the grant is done. So we’re on a ticking time bomb here,” McGinnis said.
After discussions, the council decided to remove and commemorate the landmark. McGinnis said he approached local school systems to get students involved and will extend the opportunity to residents.
Remnants of the limestone will be used to build a monument in the near future.
“I wish we could save it, I really, really do,” McGinnis said. “But with all the public agencies I did research on, even talking to people and asking questions. It’s called a low-head dam, they have been called killing machines because of how they interact.”
In 2014, the dam claimed the lives of two Franklin teenagers. Even the strongest swimmers wearing flotation devices have drowned at low-head dams because of the intense water current beneath their walls, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Town Council Member Jeff Simpson said Monday night that nature has “taken its course” and he would rather not burden residents with tax incentives to repair the bridge.
Officials hosted a town hall earlier this month to relay information and seek ideas on commemorating the landmark.
They discussed repairing the dam during the town hall, but officials said repairs could cost millions and there was no guarantee that the DNR would approve the repair. McGinnis at the time had projected the cost to repair the dam to be around $3 to 5 million.
Residents have previously voiced their sadness about the dam’s potential removal. One resident said during the town hall on Nov. 2 they felt it was like a “prized possession” being taken away.
The removal of the dam will reopen habitats and increase streamflow. McGinnis hopes it can be removed before the end of the year, he said.
