Evaluation of Public Safety at Run of River Dams
The Illinois General Assembly which passed Public Act 095-0020 has directed the Illinois Dept. of
Natural Resources Office of Water Resources to develop rules to enhance public safety at run-of-river
dams on public waters in Illinois.
The following is copied from the introduction to the Report:
1.1 Authority
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is authorized to carry out
inspections of any dam within the State, and to establish standards and issue permits for
the safe construction of new dams and the reconstruction, repair, operation and
maintenance of all existing dams as stated in Chapter 615 Section 23a of the Rivers, Lakes and
Streams Act (615 ILCS 5/23a) in the Illinois Compiled Statutes.
1.2 Purpose
Run-of-river dams have historically posed a public safety hazard throughout the
country and within Illinois. These dams span the entire width of a river and are
considered lowhead, meaning their hydraulic height is less than 25 ft. As a result, water
flows freely over the entire dam during normal flow conditions. This poses two
significant safety hazards, 1) the dam is not clearly identifiable to an individual traveling
towards the dam from upstream, and 2) the dam may produce dangerous flow
conditions downstream, known as a submerged hydraulic jump with a reverse roller.In an effort to increase public safety at run-of-river dams, the State of Illinois has
commissioned this report to document and evaluate existing public safety measures at
the 25 run-of-river dams (further referred to as either “run-of-river dams” or simply “dams”).In addition, this report considers further public safety measures and presents dam removal
or dam modification options that would eliminate or lessen the public safety hazards posed by run-of-river dams.
Download sections of the Report
The following downloadable files are in PDF format and require the Adobe Reader for viewing (click her to download the Adobe Reader).
Warning: The Main Report is a very large file and may require considerable time to download.Download the Executive Summary (848 kb) which does not include the proposed administrative rules
Download the Main Report (74.8 mb) which includes the proposed administrative rules along with the
surveys of each of the 25 dams studied in this report. The Exclusion Zone and Signage Guidelines begin
on page 28.Download Appendix I (4.5 mb) - "Visual Reconnaissance Field Notes and EMS Responses"
Appendix II is the photo and video documentation and is not posted here. It is only available on CD from OWR/IDNR
Download Appendix III (298 kb) "Opinions of Cost".
Appendix IV "Sizing Methodology of Temporary Rock Fill Options" is not posted here.
Appendix V - "Dam Investigations" is not posted here. This 151 mb appendix contains the field investigator's survey notes,
photos and other engineering data for each dam in the survey.
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