Mayor Robin Oda and staff are pleased to announce that the City of Troy has received a $3.5 million grant for the low-head dam removal and river improvements through the new H2Ohio Rivers Initiative. Troy’s low-head dam removal project will be one of the first projects funded by the initiative in the state. The grant funding will be used to help fund the $8.4 million projects to remove the Great Miami River low-head dam and develop other river improvements near downtown Troy.
The H2Ohio Rivers Initiative, which focuses on water infrastructure replacement, wetland creation, and reducing algae runoff, will provide around $47 million across the state for river improvement projects this year. In announcing Troy’s award, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine emphasized that this program improves and helps maintain the health of Ohio’s large rivers. Projects in Troy, Piqua, and Covington are the first to be funded with these new H2Ohio grants.
Concrete low-head dams, like the one in Troy, were installed decades ago as a tool to raise the water level, but most—including Troy’s—have outlived their life and purpose. Low-head dams harm water quality through oxygen depletion, interrupt fish migration and create dangerous undercurrents that pose a hazard for recreational river use. Removing Troy’s low-head dam will help to make the Great Miami River safer, cleaner, and healthier for future generations. The river improvements that will be implemented with this funding will enhance the riverfront corridor, encouraging recreational activity and economic investment in Troy’s downtown.
“We’re very excited and appreciative of the State of Ohio and Governor DeWine for this funding. It will allow us to continue to engineer and construct the improvements needed to remove the low-head dam, create an oxbow wetland re-connector at Miami Shores Golf Course, and extend our recreational trail access into downtown and the eastern section of Troy,” stated Mayor Robin Oda.
Construction is estimated to begin in 2025.
