The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has developed a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to analyze the disposition of Ballville Dam, including alternatives and associated impacts, as required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This draft SEIS supplements the previous Final Environmental Impact Statement completed for this project, published on August 1, 2014. New information in the supplement primarily addresses additional sediment data and analysis to help further assess alternatives and associated impacts.
The Service will host a public information meeting on the Ballville Dam Project March 15, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Terra State Community College, 2830 Napoleon Road, Fremont, Ohio. The public meeting is intended to provide a venue to present the draft SEIS to the local community, as well as provide an opportunity for dialogue between stakeholders regarding the project.
The draft SEIS is available on the internet at: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/fisheries/ballville-dam.html
It can be reviewed in hardcopy at:
- Birchard Public Library, 423 Croghan Street, Fremont, Ohio
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Ohio Ecological Services Field Office, 4625 Morse Road, Suite 104, Columbus, Ohio (614/416-8993, voice; 614/416-8994, fax)
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Midwest Regional Office, Fisheries Division, 5600 American Blvd. West, Bloomington, Minnesota (612/713-5350, voice; 612/713-5292, fax)
Comments on the draft SEIS can be emailed directly to Ballvilledam@fws.gov, or by hard copy or fax to Brian Elkington, 5600 American Blvd. West, Bloomington, Minnesota 55437 (612/713-5168, voice; 612/713-5292, fax). All comments must be received by April 11.
The purpose of the proposed removal of Ballville Dam is to restore natural hydrological processes over a 40-mile stretch of the Sandusky River, re-open fish passage fish passage
Fish passage is the ability of fish or other aquatic species to move freely throughout their life to find food, reproduce, and complete their natural migration cycles. Millions of barriers to fish passage across the country are fragmenting habitat and leading to species declines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program is working to reconnect watersheds to benefit both wildlife and people.
Learn more about fish passage to 22 miles of new habitat, restore flow conditions for fish access to new habitat above the impoundment, and improve overall conditions for native fish communities in the Sandusky River system both upstream and downstream of the Ballville Dam.
