WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — A dam that has blocked the natural flow of Paint Creek at Eyman Park for decades is coming down, part of a nearly $1 million project aimed at restoring habitat for endangered mussels and fish in the waterway.
The City of Washington Court House, the Fayette County Soil and Water Conservation District and the nonprofit Rural Action announced the project this week, saying it will be funded through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ H2Ohio Rivers Program. Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2027 and wrap up before 2028, according to the announcement.
Paint Creek supports several state-listed endangered species of freshwater mussels and fish that rely on clean, free-flowing water, according to the project partners. The Eyman Park dam has restricted where that aquatic life can travel, feed and reproduce, and removing it is expected to reopen miles of river habitat for the first time in generations.
“Dams alter the flow in rivers resulting in changes to habitat both upstream and downstream of the dam,” Matt Ledford, watersheds program director at Rural Action, said in a statement. “Those changes can have negative impacts on many stream dwelling organisms including fish, bugs and freshwater mussels. Paint Creek is home to a variety of aquatic animals including some threatened and endangered species. Removal of the dam will help restore natural flows and connectivity for all the aquatic life in Paint Creek.”
Brigitte Hisey, a natural resources specialist with the Fayette County Soil and Water Conservation District, said the removal fits into broader efforts to improve the city’s park system. “The dam removal project at Eyman Park is part of creating better parks in our community by removing barriers and creating better fish habitat and water quality,” Hisey said.
Rural Action will serve as the lead coordinator for the project, managing administrative and financial requirements including progress reporting, partner coordination, outreach and fish population monitoring. The organization will also oversee subcontractors responsible for permitting, surveying, design and construction, according to the announcement.
The project is one piece of a larger push to remove aging, low-head dams from Ohio’s rivers. H2Ohio Rivers is administered by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources under Gov. Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio initiative, a statewide effort launched to improve water quality by reducing harmful algal blooms, upgrading wastewater infrastructure and preventing lead contamination. Since the rivers program launched, more than 20 miles of Ohio rivers have been contracted for restoration and more than 650,000 pounds of trash have been removed from state streams, according to program officials.
The information contained in this story was obtained from a joint announcement by the City of Washington Court House, the Fayette County Soil and Water Conservation District and Rural Action.
