Will County Forest Preserve District Takes First Steps To Remove Hammel Woods Dam

The Will County Forest Preserve District Operations Committee has taken the first steps towards removing the Hammel Woods Dam in Shorewood. This news comes just days after a 28-year-old Palatine man and 22-year-old Plainfield woman died after drowning at the dam near the intersection of Route 59 and Jefferson Street. The committee approved two separate agenda items related to the removal of the dam at the Wednesday morning meeting. The first item would approve an agreement with the Lower DuPage River Watershed Coalition which allows for the next phase of engineering to move forward in order to remove the dam. The second agreement awards a contract to WBK Engineering to remove the Hammel Woods dam. The cost of the contract to remove the dam is $104,100. The resolutions will now go to the full board for approval on April 11th. The Hammel Woods dam plan stems from a 2017 study that recommended the dam be removed to improve the DuPage River’s ecology, recreational opportunities and safety.