The Carpentersville Dam on the Fox River is slated for removal in 2022, a move that state and local officials say will have a big effect on the river’s biodiversity and safety.
Dams are considered obsolete, said Steve Pescitelli, a streams specialist with the the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). Not only do they pose a drowning risk to people, they’re costly to maintain, disrupt fish migration, isolate animal habitats, degrade water quality, and affect fish and macro-invertebrate communities, he said.