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| De Pere Dam | |
|---|---|
| Name | De Pere Dam |
| Location | Brown County, Wisconsin, United States |
| Status | Operational |
| Opening | 1920s |
| Owner | City of De Pere |
| Type | Concrete |
| Height | 9 ft |
| Length | 300 ft |
| River | Fox River |
De Pere Dam is a low-head concrete diversion dam on the Fox River (Green Bay) in Brown County, Wisconsin, near the city of De Pere and downstream of Appleton, Wisconsin. The structure forms a small impoundment used for water level control, municipal water interests, and limited hydroelectric production historically tied to regional industry such as paper mills and shipping on Green Bay (Lake Michigan). The site has intersected interests of local authorities including the City of De Pere, Brown County, and regional bodies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The site of the facility lies within a corridor traversed by Indigenous nations including the Ho-Chunk Nation and Menominee peoples before European settlement associated with explorers like Jean Nicolet and fur trade companies such as the Hudson's Bay Company. Euro-American development accelerated with pioneers and entrepreneurs like John Jacob Astor-era traders and later industrialists who established sawmills and paper works along the Fox River corridor, connecting to shipping nodes such as Green Bay, Wisconsin and ports on Lake Michigan. The dam itself was constructed in the early 20th century amid a wave of municipal and private dam projects contemporaneous with works by firms similar to Allis-Chalmers and in the era of infrastructure expansion paralleling initiatives of the New Deal even if predating some federal programs. Over decades, the dam has been subject to controversies resembling disputes seen at other waterways like those involving the Kinzua Dam and debates over hydropower vs. river restoration exemplified by the Edwards Dam removal. Stakeholders including municipal authorities, environmental groups such as River Alliance of Wisconsin, and commercial interests have influenced decisions on upgrades, licensing, and stewardship linked to frameworks like the Federal Power Act and consultations under statutes parallel to the National Environmental Policy Act.
The structure is a short concrete fixed-crested/diversion dam situated on a low-gradient reach of the Fox River, comparable in scale to small run-of-river facilities elsewhere on tributaries of Lake Michigan. Specifications reflect a modest hydraulic head of approximately 6–12 feet, a crest length in the low hundreds of feet, and features for spill control analogous to gates and sluices employed by municipal dams overseen by bodies such as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on larger systems. Engineering analyses reference standards promulgated by organizations like the American Society of Civil Engineers and inspection guidance similar to publications from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Structural components incorporate reinforced concrete, buttresses, and sheet piling influences paralleling interventions used at other Wisconsin impoundments managed by entities like the Wisconsin Public Service Corporation. Sediment management and scour considerations at the abutments mirror concerns addressed in studies by academic centers such as the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Operational control traditionally rests with the municipal authority of the City of De Pere, coordinating with regulatory agencies including the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and federal entities such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for navigability and flood control. Water level regulation supports municipal water intakes similar to arrangements in cities like Appleton, Wisconsin and coordinates with industrial withdrawals once utilized by firms in the regional paper industry like Georgia-Pacific and predecessors. Licensing and compliance activities interact with principles from the Federal Power Act where hydropower is present, and municipal managers engage consultants and contractors akin to firms in the National Hydropower Association network for maintenance, inspections, and potential upgrades. Emergency action planning references interoperability models used in regional flood response by agencies like Brown County, Wisconsin emergency management.
The impoundment affects fish passage for species such as walleye, smallmouth bass, and migratory runs paralleled in other Great Lakes tributaries that host populations also relevant to Lake Michigan fisheries. Ecological assessments echo concerns raised in cases like the removal of the Edwards Dam and restoration projects on the Kalamazoo River, addressing sediment accumulation, altered thermal regimes, and barriers to native species including populations associated with the Lake Sturgeon restoration efforts of regional tribes and state programs. Mitigation measures considered over time have included fish ladders, bypass channels, and habitat enhancement similar to projects overseen by organizations like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state conservation programs administered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Water quality interactions implicate nutrient dynamics linked to agricultural watersheds, monitored in frameworks practiced by the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance and research institutions such as the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay.
The dam area and its impoundment provide locales for recreational boating, angling, and paddling, connecting to regional trail systems and parks administered by entities like the City of De Pere Parks Department and Brown County Park System. Recreational amenities and access points mirror provisions at nearby public resources including the Fox River State Recreational Trail and marinas in Green Bay, Wisconsin, attracting anglers targeting species celebrated in guides from organizations such as the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and tourism promotion by the Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Safety signage, portage routes, and interpretive materials have been coordinated with stakeholders including local historical societies akin to the De Pere Historical Society.
Safety protocols follow inspection regimes consistent with mandates applied to non-federal dams under state statutes administered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and technical guidance similar to publications from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Inventory of Dams. Past inspection findings have prompted maintenance actions such as concrete repairs, gate refurbishment, and installation of monitoring instrumentation comparable to upgrades undertaken at regional facilities managed by utilities like We Energies. Considerations for future modifications include retrofit options for fish passage, hydropower modernization aligning with efforts promoted by the National Hydropower Association, and resilience measures in the face of changing hydrology evaluated in studies by the Great Lakes Commission and climate research groups at institutions like the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.
Category:Dams in Wisconsin Category:Buildings and structures in Brown County, Wisconsin Category:Fox River (Green Bay)