A well-known and dangerous dam on the Great Miami River in Hamilton is going away.
The city has a $2.45 million grant through the state’s H2Ohio Rivers Program to start removing the Hamilton Low Dam, which has caused safety concerns for decades and is linked to past drownings.
This marks the start of the first phase of the Lower Great Miami River Restoration Initiative, which aims to fully remove the dam and restore a free-flowing stretch of river through Hamilton. The city and the Miami Conservancy District are leading the effort. The total estimated project cost is $7.66 million.
City Manager Craig Bucheit calls the grant the “green light Hamilton has been working toward.”
“For years, we've talked about increasing recreational opportunities and driving riverfront development, but a major concern has always been the danger created by the existing dam,” Bucheit said in a release. “What's particularly exciting about this project is the opportunity to replace that structure in a way that improves safety, increases recreation, and helps restore the river.”
The Hamilton Low Dam was built in the 1980s for recreational boating, turning the naturally moving river into a pond-like pool. It made the water warmer, slower and lower in oxygen than a healthy river should be. The low head dam also caused a strong, dangerous current to form just below it.
In July 2025, a kayaker was pulled from the river near the dam and later died from her injuries.
Removing the concrete structure will make conditions safer for paddlers, anglers and first responders, and get rid of a deadly hazard.
Conservancy District General Manager MaryLynn Lodor says the project will also open up about 34 miles of river to flow freely, supporting more fish and better water quality.
“Smallmouth bass, hybrid stripers, native gar, smallmouth buffalo — these kinds of species are not able to move from downstream of the low-head dam to the upstream areas,” Lodor said. “We're going to be able to see more native and healthier fish be able to spawn in these areas that they're not currently able to get to now. That's going to improve water quality.”
She adds, that means reducing the water’s temperature and increasing the amount of dissolved oxygen.
What will the project do?
The conservancy district says the project will:
- Remove the dam structure
- Rebuild a natural riverbed with gentle rapids and deeper pools
- Let sand and gravel move naturally downstream again, the way they would in an unblocked river
- Make the river safer for everyone who uses it
- Cool the water and add more oxygen back into it, making it healthier for fish and other wildlife
- Design to maintain an upstream pool to sustain rowing during most days of the year
It also will support Hamilton’s larger plans for its riverfront, including better river access, stronger trail connections and a bigger role for Hamilton in the Great Miami Riverway.
What’s next?
With funding from H2Ohio secured, the project is moving ahead with final design and permitting. The partners are pursuing additional money to be able to complete the $7.7 million project all at once.
Construction is targeted for 2027-2028.
The Miami Conservancy District will continue managing the river corridor, including the levees that keep Hamilton safe from flooding.
Upstream, the conservancy district’s Two Mile Dam is also set to be removed or modified through an Ohio Department of Transportation project set to begin in late 2026 or 2027.
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