The Horlick Dam on the Root River in Racine will be removed!

April 16, 2024  |  Topics: Issues

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Courtesy Root-Pike WIN (Watershed Initiative Network)

Thank you to all who supported the removal of the Horlick Dam!

Root-Pike WIN is thrilled to report that the plan to remove the Horlick Dam was unanimously approved by the Racine County Board of Supervisors this week.

Early in the birth of Racine County the dam powered industry, but for the last 100 years, it has only served to impede the river’s health and access. The dam is not historic by any measure. Built in 1975, it lacks purpose and integrity. 

The dam is unsafe and at risk of failing as determined by the Wisconsin DNR’s 2009 Inspection Report. The dam is a “flow-in/flow-out” design, which means it does not control floods; but it does put people and properties downstream in danger of catastrophic flooding if it fails.

Phosphorus and nutrient-laden sediment stacks up in the impoundments, which feeds invasive algae growth and warms water to levels intolerable for wildlife. The map app on an iPhone shows bright green algal blooms in the impounded areas—the sign of an unhealthy river.

The dam also creates stagnant “slack water,” which means slow paddling for those who frequent the area. Removal will not eliminate the opportunity to paddle upstream but will enhance the river for more advanced paddlers and those who want to paddle all the way to Lake Michigan. [For most paddlers a portage will still be required at the Steelhead Facility weir in Lincoln Park.]

Removal will not end fishing downstream of the dam’s current location. In fact, wading and shore fishing will expand into larger, drained areas where the impoundments exist upstream. Full migration for Lake Michigan fish will be reborn–allowing trout, salmon, pike, and other species to finally pass upstream to their instinctual spawning grounds. From Union Grove to New Berlin, over 160 miles of tributaries and connected wetlands will expand sportfishing for more people and improve habitats for more species.

For 14 years, Racine County has been obligated to find a solution and the money to solve the Horlick Dam problem. Now, we have a responsible plan AND funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to implement the solution. 

Our push for removal goes back seven years and is based primarily on the recommendation for removal in the Root River Plan (2013). Root-Pike WIN is proud to have introduced the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to the Horlick Dam problem in 2017. The USACE’s Great Lakes Fishery & Ecosystem Restoration authority provides a significant cost-share opportunity for federal funding (which we helped develop, secure, and advance) that will now save Racine County millions of dollars and open 160 miles of Root River tributaries.

Some believe the habitat just upstream of the dam is worth keeping. The reality is that the dam creates a “very poor” habitat upstream based on the USACE’s assessment. Removal would move the score to “exceptional.” The risk of invasive species, like the round goby and sea lamprey, moving upstream was rated as “low.”

For more than 14 years, repair, rebuild, and modify alternatives were studied in Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission’s Root River Plan (2013) and USACE’s Horlick Dam Plan (2024). Both studies concluded that a repair, replace or modify alternative is too costly and does not address the poor water quality and degraded habitat upstream of the dam.

While the Horlick Dam currently holds back water for some to enjoy, its days are numbered in holding back a healthy river for everyone. For those who disagreed with removal, we hope to find common ground with you as the river is restored.

We look forward to the USACE’s removal of the Horlick Dam slated for the third quarter of 2025.

With gratitude,

The staff and Board of Directors at Root-Pike WIN

For more information and to support their work go to the Root-Pike WIN website.

Related stories (Root-Pike WIN/restorations):

The Seed Idea: Smolenski Park Prairie Restoration

Pike River restoration: This is what success looks like!

Pike River Restoration: Enhancing the Watershed for a Cleaner Lake Michigan

Related stories (Kayaking the Root River):

Kayaking the Root River with Root-Pike WIN and SEWRPC

Kayaking in the Root River Challenge

Root-Pike WIN has contributed previously to The Natural Realm but is not otherwise affiliated with Preserve Our Parks. All photos courtesy Root-Pike WIN, except as noted. The featured photograph at the top of kayakers in the Root River Challenge well upstream from the impoundment is by Eddee Daniel.

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