Posted on June 3, 2021
STRUTHERS — The scenery will be changing on the Mahoning River this summer, this time in Struthers.
As part of a $3.2 million project, the dam located at river mile 15.83 will be extracted after sediment is removed.
“We are very excited to begin this phase in removing the dam,” said Mayor Catherine Cercone Miller, due to “all of the possibilities” that will open up once work is completed.
The city is sponsoring the removal, dredging and channel restoration of the river between Bob Cene Way and South Bridge Street.
The 240-foot dam includes five concrete piers that once supported a train trestle, with five smaller piers in between. It is 6 feet to 7 feet tall.
A mechanical dredging process must first take place before the concrete can be taken out, and the heaviest four areas of sediment on a stretch of the river have been identified, said Gary Diorio of MS Consultants.
Work is anticipated to begin in July, and the project should wrap up by May 2022.
A mechanical dredge means crews will scoop out the sediment, put it on a barge, then take it to a designated, leak-proof basin.
Approximately 8,000 to 10,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment will be removed from the riverbed and taken to vacant land on the Campbell side of the river, Diorio said.
Once the sediment dries, it will be taken to a landfill.
As the concrete piers are broken up and taken out, the chunks will then be placed at designated spots along the riverbank to help the river flow toward the center, Diorio said.
In some places, the “center” has shifted toward the Campbell side of the river, which is natural, he said.
Funding has been secured from three entities: Water Resource Restoration Sponsorship Program for $1.2 million, LTV Bankruptcy Fund with $1 million, and Ohio Public Works Commission Clean Ohio Conservation Fund with $831,900.
The OPWC conservation fund will allow for the stream bank restoration, Diorio said.
MS Consultants is managing the project for the city.
The general contractor is RiverReach Construction of Barberton. The rest of design-build team is comprised of GPD Group of Akron, EnviroScience of Stow and Brownfield Restoration Group, Akron.
The design-build team is now waiting to receive a water-quality certification permit from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Once that permit is received , the team will begin working on the river.
A permit from the Army Corps of Engineers has been obtained.
Trees along the river banks in specific locations have been cleared, allowing the general contractor access to the water.
A nonmotorized boat launch will be added off Bob Cene Way.
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