99 have been around since at least 1999. With many deaths and injuries being associated with the dams, and more projected as recreation increases along the river.19 Beyond safety concerns, the dams affect the water quality and local wildlife. Dams stop fish from traveling upstream, which in turn prevents fish from reaching tributaries and spawn points. Without the ability to move into different segments of the river, when the environment is stressed, like in a drought, it prevents fish from moving into healthier areas.20 It has been shown that rivers that are free flowing have, on average, four times as many individual fish and retain more intolerant fish species than rivers that are dammed.21 In the Fox River, data from 1980 showed that thirty species of fish are only found in the lower portion of the river. Freshwater mussels are also at a historic low due to not being able to reestablish their population throughout the Fox River.22 Plans to remove the dams are underway, but no dam has been removed since 2006. The benefits of removing the dams extend past safety and improved water quality and to better recreation activity, opening the river up to kayakers and canoers and away from the boats and water skiers.23 Removing the dams will allow for improved water quality, fish populations and safety. Although the EPA and CWA have been created, there is still a long way to go to improve the water quality on the Fox River. Cleaning and decontamination of the river is underway with thousands of volunteers every year picking up hundreds of tons of trash. Even still, the Fox River still has wastewater and chemical runoff leaching into it. Along with dams impeding fish populations and hurting the water quality. Looking toward the future removal of the dams and future cleaning efforts should help return the Fox River to its former state. 19David Solzman, “Fox River,” ENCYCLOPEDIA of CHICAGO, 1999, http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/481.html. 20 “River Restoration,” Fox River Study Group, 2022, https://www.foxriverstudygroup.org/river-restoration. 21 Max McGraw, “Fox River Fish Passage Feasibility Study” (Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Department of Natural Resources , 2003), pp. 1-352, iv. 22IBID 23 IBID
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