# Ballville Dam is Toast!



## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

Did I read that it's removal has been officially scheduled with some help from Federal funding. Is this REALLY going to happen in 2011? This should be tremendous!!!! Now, if we could just get the feeder creeks of that river cleaned up.


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## dtigers1984 (Jul 24, 2007)

Great news! I heard that they will also be creating a new impoundment in Fremont as well. I have not heard the timeline yet, however. Probably should move this to NW Ohio forum though.


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

Yes, my bad. I meant to put it in NW, but posted in the wrong one. Can a mod help me out here. lol


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## WLB (Apr 6, 2004)

> This should be tremendous!!!!





> Great news!


I don't understand why?


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## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)

They are building a new reservoir as we speak....so taking out the dam. Of course taking the dam out will be done in stages....I thought that I heard the completion of the removal wont be until 2012? Could be wrong....I think its fantastic though.....idk what all is going to be stocked in this res but in 10 years it should be an amazing fishery.....no more walleye and whitebass run just downtown.....heck all the fish will be in the small streams or up to the res.....only time will tell..


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## NorthSouthOhioFisherman (May 7, 2007)

I think it will help but I also think the fish are still going to stack up in the same areas as they always have as the river downstream area will still be the same. Only time will tell. I think it will help alot though still, fish will be in tiffin for sure


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## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

I work in tiffin at a shop that has been there 100+ years and they have pictures under the counter at the register of stringers of BIG walleye that were caught in tiffin before the dam was built. Fish will make it as far as Tinkers Dam-Pioneer Mill i would guess. Will have to take my fillet knife to work with me when the time comes.....


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## ufaquaoiler (Jan 14, 2010)

id almost bet that walleye would stack up at the huss street area...especially in low or normal water! high water im sure they could make it over without much trouble.


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## lyman68 (Mar 1, 2008)

I live uptream of the damn and talked to dnr shocking fish in the spring above the damn at wolf creek. Dnr was getting a base line of species and numbers to do a before damn after damn study. Above the damn the river bottom is all rocky and gravel perfect spawning habitat. They say that before the damn was there everytime there was a flood or spring thaw a fresh batch of gravel would be puhed down stream into the deeper pools creating even more spawning area. The damn will be demolished in ten foot sections giving the river time to settle in between, do to the fact that there are thousands of tons of sediment stacked up behind it. The problem currently is the resivoir. The res must be competed before the damn can be demolished because fermonts water intake is above the damn. Our great engineers in fremont picked a spot along the river wich is a natural sand ridge. They say there core samples taken 100' apart showed sufficient clay to hold water. The first phase of the damn is done the conractor found insufficient clay too start the second phase on sight, and defaulted on his contract. So clay needed to be shipped in or a liner installed both costing millions. Second phase was rebid another conractor got the bid and claims he can make it work with the materials on site. All this needs to be copleted by a deadline or the federal funding is out the door. only in fremontucky!!


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

I have heard there is a lot of sediment build up. There may be some short term problems such as siltation, aethetics and such. However, the long term benefit would be very beneficial. More spawning habitat, more D.O. in the river system, improved stream corridor areas(filtering affect). There is a LOT of hard line bedrock areas between Fremont and Tiffin so all of that will be opened up for spawning which is fantastic. It may give the lake a nice kick to as I have heard the walleye numbers are down a little this year.


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## Catchfish23 (May 15, 2009)

it is also sad because over the years I have enjoyed fishing at the dam greatly


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## cvlngneer (Nov 7, 2011)

Hey AtticaFish... Do you still have access to those photos of walleye caught in Tiffin? Could help in proving removing the dam will work... or anybody else for that matter..


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## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

cvlngneer - I did post the picture on here in another post at one time... Ballville Dam ...if you need anything else, i will gladly help! - Russ


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## DeathFromAbove (Oct 21, 2008)

Nice article in The Blade yesterday. Not a Steve Pollick fan, but this was a ggod piece


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## sander (Oct 30, 2008)

Yes, as always, a very good article by Steve Pollick. But one detail that was not elaborated -- when the Division of Wildlife experimentally transported walleye from the lower river to areas above the dam (I believe it was during the '90s), they later sampled for larval walleye coming over the dam as evidence of successful spawning. And indeed, walleye fry were captured in their plankton nets. Mission accomplished.

Removal of the Ballville Dam will open 15 or more miles of potential spawning territory to the migratory stocks of several Lake Erie species. Walleye and white bass are obvious beneficiaries, but it could also benefit species like smallmouth, northern pike, a host of sucker species and more. Sturgeon might eventually use the river again; old newspaper accounts exist that tell of sturgeon being among the species that collected below Sandusky River dams in the early days. (The first dams installed were for milling and preceded the Ballville Dam.)

Removal of the dam can benefit anyone who likes to fish, but it should really be supported by Central Basin anglers. The Division's tagging studies have shown that a majority of the Sandusky Bay and river spawners are from a Central Basin stock.


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## 1977 walleye guy (Mar 11, 2006)

I do not disagree with the dam removal or a new reservoir being built, i'd like everyone to think about one thing though....I strongly believe the DNR will have strong restrictions on the water.....just food for thought.


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## Canoerower (Jun 28, 2011)

Like guy said about DNR putting restirctions on it, They probly will. Your not aloud now to fish that resivor. Not only that but someone said about the fish moving clear up to that other park, and opening up 15 miles of river. What 15 miles, you wont be able to float its all shallow and rocky, you cant wade or bank fish cause its all private land all the way up. So this is really not going to help anyone fish these parts of the river. Heck from what i've heard of people fishing up there the golf course in Fremont right above that part and below the damn will prosicute if your in the river or the bank. So is it really going to help fishermen, or hurt us in the end??


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## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

Canoerower - Have to say i disagree. It will make more work for anglers to find where the fish are staging to spawn, but can only benefit the fish! It might be 15 miles as the crow flies between Fremont & Tiffin but it does open up more miles than that of river with all the turns. There are several Nature Preserves and access points between the 2 cities also. Also a few canoe liveries that operate that stretch of river. Springtime flow level is higher too, would have no problem floating any part with a canoe or yak. I have fished for the last 15 years in Tiffin and north out to CR 38 and have never been approached by anyone for trespassing. Of course if there is a big influx of people fishing the area, land owners might change their minds.

http://sanduskyriver.org/uploads/Recreation%20Map[1].pdf

My guess is that the fishing is closed at the reservoir until it is stocked and can sustain itself. Have seen cities keep new reservoirs closed for the first few years. If the ODNR had anything to do with the stocking, think they HAVE to have it open to public fishing. I could be wrong though. 

Not trying to start any war of words here, but can say that i look forward to that dam coming down.  I fish below Tinker's Dam (Pioneer Mill) in Tiffin because of a few holes that hold alot of fish, but wouldn't mind seeing that old crumbling dam taken down also!


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## WLB (Apr 6, 2004)

> Ballville Dam is Toast!


And so is the mayor of Fremont. Voted out of office primarily for forcing and over budget, poorly planned, poorly constructed unnecessary reservoir down the people of Fremont's throat.
But now that it's a done deal and the dnr put up some of the money to help the few walleye that might wander upstream to spawn, we need to contact them about extending the closed part of the river to the next dam upstream during the run . It's the only way to protect the fish from the snaggers and meat hunters in that much more water that the wardens will never be able to patrol. I thought spawning recruitment was the main idea, not more fishing access?


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## Carpman (May 18, 2005)

I bet we have another record hatch of walleye after this is done.....can only help the erie fishery. Who cares about fishing the river.....you can catch the walleye that are born in the river in lake erie for years to come.


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## DeathFromAbove (Oct 21, 2008)

Carpman said:


> I bet we have another record hatch of walleye after this is done.....can only help the erie fishery. Who cares about fishing the river.....you can catch the walleye that are born in the river in lake erie for years to come.


 Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the fish that spawn in the rivers only represent about 5 percent of the spawning population.Ive also been told that most of the Maumee's fish migrate down from Lake ST Clair. The effect of the river spawns is minimal on the lake population. Those numbers could change with the opening of maybe 30 miles of spawnable habitat in the Sandusky with the removal of the Dam. Any help is a plus with the horrible spawns we've had on the Lake for the last couple years running


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## LEfriend (Jun 14, 2009)

DeathFromAbove said:


> Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the fish that spawn in the rivers only represent about 5 percent of the spawning population.Ive also been told that most of the Maumee's fish migrate down from Lake ST Clair. The effect of the river spawns is minimal on the lake population. Those numbers could change with the opening of maybe 30 miles of spawnable habitat in the Sandusky with the removal of the Dam. Any help is a plus with the horrible spawns we've had on the Lake for the last couple years running


Not sure what the percent is. You may be correct. I do know I have heard that the bulk of the spawning occurs in the lake. But the Sandusky stock would not be insignificant.

One reason and an even bigger point, as I remember hearing from the biologists, is that the Sandusky stock is its own discrete stock. Thus it maintains another diverse line of genetic material. Seems there are several different genetic lines around the lake based on where they spawn. So maintaining this stock is important from a genetic diversity standpoint and health of the species. Also having different spawning stocks can be a hedge against weather or spawn conditions being poor in one area as it might be better in another.

We can debate the actual numbers, but the bottom line is that this is nothing but good for the fishery.


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