GRAND RAPIDS, MI — After nearly two decades of planning, Grand Rapids officials will gather Monday for a ceremonial groundbreaking on a project to remove four low-head dams from the Grand River, a key step toward restoring the city’s namesake rapids.
Community leaders will gather at Gillett Bridge in downtown Grand Rapids, where they will take part in a Blessing of the Waters and ceremonially place the first rocks into the river. The $14.6 million project is expected to take about two years to complete.
Here’s a closer look at what the project does, how it evolved and what comes next:…