Staff photo / Bob Coupland Newton Falls officials are discussing plans to repair the Low Head Dam, shown above, and the West River Dam.

NEWTON FALLS — Village officials are working with OHM Advisors to evaluate conditions of two century-old dams in dire need repair. They also are examining funding sources.

Village Manager Pam Priddy said the two dams are the Low Head Dam off First Street, which provides water to the village, and the West River Dam at Ridge Road and West Broad Street.

“Neither of the dams are in good condition,” she said.

“The Low Head Dam is in worse condition than the West River Dam. We are in the process of (determining) what we plan to do. The West River Dam needs some repairs, which will not be as costly as the Low Head Dam. We will give priority to both of them,” Priddy said.

OHM Advisors is a multioffice team of more than 650 people from different backgrounds. Its clients include municipalities, state and federal agencies. The firm serves as the village’s consulting engineers on projects and grants.

Priddy said OHM Advisors engineers are reviewing the dams and looking at whether the Low Head Dam is salvageable or in need of replacement.

Officials are in the preliminary stage of determining what options are available and how they will approach the dams. Both dams are more than 100 years old.

Priddy said village officials were told in 2014 to start fixing the dams after the Ohio Department of Natural Resources did an inspection.

“ODNR gave a report back then, telling the village that something needed to be done. There have been issues at the dam since 2014. Another report has been done since then indicating the dams are in need of work. We knew we had to begin moving to get the dams fixed. ODNR wants to see us move forward and make some progress with the dams,” she said.

Different funding sources, grants and low-interest and forgiveness loans are being considered to help cover costs. “We are looking combining both dams together to get a better result with funding,” Priddy said.

“We could be working on this and not get started for two years down the road. We may get funding first for the West River Dam that can be done right away, but the Low Head Dam may take longer. OHM knows that we want to get as many grants and loans as we can because of the village’s finances,” Priddy said.

She said the Low Head Dam is a water source for the village and for West Farmington, Braceville and Southington.

Priddy said the dam’s wooden screen, which protects gears that control water flow, needs to be replaced and surrounding debris needs to be removed. Existing small holes in the dam need to be repaired.

TIMELINE

Priddy said the village will begin applying for funding this year.

“We are also looking to upgrade our water plant. We may have to look at relocating our water intake to make it more upstream versus downstream because of debris in the water. The water intake is taking that in, and causing the equipment to work harder,” she said.

The two Mahoning River dams are not on the list of dams in the Mahoning Valley to be removed, such as in Warren and Leavittsburg.

“These are the village’s dams, and we have to take care of them,” Priddy said.

The West River Dam is smaller and shorter than the other dam with the controls of the dam underneath.

First Ward Councilman Gideon Fetterolf said the West River Dam was an operating hydroelectric dam and still has the hydro-electric generators.

Second Ward Councilman John Baryak described the dams as “in very bad shape.”

“We are trying to do the best we can with whatever grants and funding we can get. We can’t continue to keep kicking the can down the road,” Baryak said.

ENGINEER INPUT

Tony Burgoyne, principal in charge at OHM in Akron, said the firm does architectural and engineering work.

“We are looking to come up with a resolution on how to best restore the dams either by fixing them or replacing them,” he said.

Burgoyne said the first step is securing funding for planning, which would be done in 2024.

Work would follow in 2025, he said.

“What is done with the dam will have an impact on not only Newton Falls but surrounding communities that Newton Falls serves with water. … There will be a regional implication with that dam since the water is provided to other communities,” Burgoyne said.

He said other communities might need to be involved in planning.

In 2022, village council voted to move both dams under the jurisdiction of the village park system to give them more likelihood of securing grants.

“If you can do that or have them considered as the park, there’s a greater opportunity to get some grants to help out with the funding to do so,” Mayor Ken Kline said.