Staff photo / R. Michael Semple A notch is created in the Leavittsburg Dam Tuesday morning to start the process of dewatering, which means lowering the water level slowly. After six years of court battles and legal wranglings, demolition on the dam began Tuesday morning.

WARREN TOWNSHIP — After six years of bitter court battles and legal wranglings, the Leavittsburg Dam is finally being demolished.

Crews began demolishing the dam, which is owned by the Trumbull County MetroParks board, Tuesday morning.

In June, Warren Township trustees voted to stop fighting the demolition after a series of court rulings did not go their way and they decided it was too expensive to appeal the ruling to the Ohio Supreme Court. Trustees said at the time that the MetroParks’ legal costs were being paid by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, which voted to approve the demolition in December because of safety concerns.

Trustees already had spent $50,000 fighting the dam’s removal, according to Warren Township Trustee Chairman Ryan Yoho. When the township dropped its fight, trustees urged the county commissioners to continue fighting. The commissioners in February joined trustees in a lawsuit and injunction filing.

It was estimated an Ohio Supreme Court appeal would have cost an additional $50,000. Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, an appellate court and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Review Appeals Commission all ruled against the township’s appeals, allowing for the demolition to move forward.

Residents of Warren Township were opposed to the demolition because of concerns over pollutants entering the Mahoning River and making their way into the water system. They also were concerned about flooding.

Residents in Braceville wanted the dam removed, hoping to alleviate flooding in their township.

WARREN TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES

More than 25 residents attended Tuesday’s Warren Township trustees meeting, with some voicing their concerns with the beginning stages of the dam’s removal

Resident Charlene Alderman said she lives near the Mahoning River and has already noticed that no volunteers have shown up to help take care of turtles, mussels and snails that were exposed as the water level goes down.

She said there is also trash in the thick mud being exposed from the water going down, and there is several feet of thick mud by her and other people’s properties.

“Our whole community needs to come together now whether you are for the dam coming out or against it. We have a strong community that can work together and help each other,” Alderman said,

Resident Darryl Parker said residents have to understand the dam will be gone so the focus now needs to be on Kimberly-Clark coming to the community and other projects for the future.

“We can’t beat this issue anymore. We have to move forward,” Parker said.

Trustee Ed Anthony said he was informed that residents will need to remove debris and trash from their properties where the river level goes down.

“It started today and we will begin seeing the effects of this,” Anthony said.

Resident Fay Smith said she has had her water tested by Cardinal Labs because she is concerned with any possible changes in the water with the dam being removed. She said she uses bottled water because the water at her home tested with high levels of sodium.

“I am concerned with what chemicals are in the water,’ she said, asking officials if deteriorated rubber from the nearby factories is under the sediment and will be exposed as the water level goes down.

Trustee Ryan Yoho said the county will test residents’ water for $150 if there are concerns.