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Spillway group prepares to lower Ivex dam
(by Barbara Christian - May 06, 2010)
Spillway group prepares to lower Ivex dam
By BARBARA CHRISTIAN
The Chagrin Falls board of zoning appeals last week unanimously recommended two variances for Spillway LLC, owner of the former Ivex property, so it can go ahead with plans to lower the dam.
Village Council is to have the final vote on the variances when it meets Monday.
If approved, they will permit tree removal in the river buffer, which will make way for a temporary road so equipment can access the base of the dam, where the work will begin.
Spillway partner Robert Darden showed the board photos of where the trees would be cut to make room for the road.
The second variance forgives a portion of the village's flood-hazard-prevention ordinance, which prohibits fill material from being added in the flood-plain area.
Mr. Darden said the fill going into the flood plain consists of 600 feet of silt, which will be removed from behind the dam so that the dam lowering can take place.
Village Administrator Benjamin Himes said the sedimentation technically will not be added to the flood plain but will be moved from one part to another where it will be allowed to dry.
Also viewed as fill is riprap, or shore armor, which will be placed along a portion of the north at the dam.
Mr. Darden said lowering the dam will be done by drilling 11 1- to 2-foot-diameter holes into the dam. The holes permit the water to drain to the next level, where the process will be repeated until the dam reaches the prescribed 10-foot height.
At that point, 10 to 12 feet will be taken down from the top of the dam and removed, and the dam will be restored. The access road also s needed to haul away that material from the site.
Mr. Himes said Spillway has hired an engineer to design the project. It is being reviewed by the village's engineer and the Chagrin River Watershed Partners, which are administering the government grant funding the dam lowering.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must also issue approval documents and permits.
In making his motion to approve the variances, Councilman and commission member Robert Williams said, "I do not believe the removal of the trees or removal of silt and moving it ... will increase the dangers to any individuals or property."
He said, "The riprap they are requesting to be placed in the flood plain is a safety feature designed specifically for hillside retention."
Mr. Williams said, as the dam is lowered, the riprap will serve as a preventive measure against erosion.
He said the area where the trees would be removed is in the same area where there was once a road or path but which had grown over.
A start date for the dam-lowering project has not been announced. When the work is done, the dam will be lowered from its current height of 20 feet to 10 feet.
The lower dam still will retain the look of a waterfall. Since water no longer will be dammed, the river will be permitted to return to its natural course.
The dam at Spillway was deemed a danger several years ago. Brining its height to 10 feet removes the flood danger should it fail and removes it from the need for regular dam inspections.
The dam is Spillway's responsibility because it is located on its property and attached to the buildings, which will be preserved as well as to High Street.
When completed, Spillway, the new name for the historic former paper mill property, is to become a combination of office and living spaces and will feature a local brewery, dining, outdoor areas and entertainment features.
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