After years of talk about putting the rapids back in Grand Rapids, the river is finally about to get noisy again. With new federal backing locked in and a major city construction contract awarded, crews are set to start reshaping the Grand River downtown so it actually lives up to the city’s name.
The Lower Reach plan calls for removing several low-head dams and rebuilding the riverbed with boulders and riffles to recreate rapid-type habitat and safer access to the water. City officials say construction is expected to begin this spring, and the in-channel work should take about two years to finish.
City awards contract and sets staging area
On February 25, the Grand Rapids City Commission approved a $14.56 million construction contract with Taplin Group LLC for the Lower Reach work and designated Ah-Nab-Awen Park as the main staging area for heavy equipment, which will be closed during construction, according to the City of Grand Rapids. The city says the contract covers taking out four low-head dams between I-196 and Fulton Street and installing natural rock structures to restore rapids and improve river access.
Officials describe the vote as a turning point from planning to on-the-ground work. The funding package pulls from state grants, city dollars and nonprofit contributions, the city notes.
Federal funding, environmental review and scope
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service lists an $11,026,695 NRCS contribution in its watershed plan and has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact after completing a final environmental assessment, according to the USDA NRCS. Agency documents say the in-channel work will cover about 11.7 acres and is expected to improve habitat for native Great Lakes fish and mussels, including lake sturgeon, river redhorse and the snuffbox mussel…