London, Ont – The city of London, Ontario is preparing to decommission and partially remove the Springbank Dam, a task that has been on the city’s to-do list since 2019 when council voted in favour of the project. The dam was damaged in 2008 when bolts gave way on a gate, leading to a legal fight between the city and the dam’s engineers. The city received a $3.7-million settlement which will fund the partial decommission.
The decommissioning project is scheduled to begin in summer 2024. The design of the project is based on the preferred option of “Partial Removal” recommended by the One River Master Plan Environmental Assessment completed in 2019.
Partial removal means:
- The concrete superstructure of the dam will stay in place, while the mechanical components, control building, and the steel gates that currently sit on the bed of the river will be removed;
- Improvements will be made to address the superstructure’s stability, including ongoing preventative maintenance, and a safety inspection program; and,
- Downstream of the dam, along the south shore of the Thames River, approximately 175m of concrete bank will be removed and restored with a naturalized shoreline with plantings and habitat improvements.
Site preparations for the decommissioning of Springbank Dam will begin in Spring 2024, including tree removals. Active construction is anticipated to occur between late-July and December 2024. Final restoration works within Springbank Park are planned for Spring 2025. Detours through Springbank Park will be established for pathway users and identified through signage in the park.
