The project is located in the town of Geneva in Ashtabula County, OH along the Grand River.
This project will prevent sea lampreys from reaching suitable spawning habitat upstream of the Harpersfield Dam, where there are approximately 1,266 miles of river in the mainstream Grand and its tributaries.
Project partners include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Great Lakes Fishery Commission and Ashtabula County Metroparks
Sea lampreys in the Great Lakes are a problem because of their aggressive parasitism on key predator species and game fish, such as lake trout, lake whitefish, chub, and lake herring.
To effectively prevent migration of sea lampreys in the Grand River upstream of the Harpersfield Dam, the selected alternative calls for replacement of the existing dam with a new barrier that meets current standards and incorporates effective sea lamprey traps.
The current design concept involves removal of the upper curved profile of the existing dam, leaving the base of the current dam in place, and construction of the new barrier immediately upstream of the current dam location.
The new barrier profile will incorporate a vertical downstream face with overhanging lip and fixed crest elevation. The new barrier crest elevation will provide an 18-inch drop to tail water elevation at flows with an annual frequency of return of ten years.
Currently, the project is nearing the end of the feasibility study phase.
During the next phase (the design & implementation phase) the design will be finalized and construction is slated to begin 2017.
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