A U.S. City Is Tearing Out Four Dams to Bring Its River’s Rapids Back

The city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, was named for the rushing rapids that once churned through the heart of downtown — rapids that were flattened long ago by dams and channel work. On July 1, 2026, the city began giving them back. In-river construction started to remove four low-head dams along a stretch of the Grand River, the first physical step in a restoration effort nearly two decades in the making.

The timing was deliberate. Work was scheduled to begin only after fish spawning season and in a way that keeps invasive sea lampreys from slipping past the Sixth Street Dam upstream. When the dams come down, the project will re-sculpt the riverbed with natural rock features across roughly 2,887 feet and 30 acres of the river, reviving habitat for native Great Lakes species including lake sturgeon, river redhorse and the endangered snuffbox mussel. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

“On July 1, 2026, the city began giving them back.”

The people behind the project see it as far more than an engineering job. “By revitalizing the riverbed with natural features that support safety, habitat and access, we’re creating a space where future generations can learn,” said Mike Staal, the river restoration project manager. Matt Chapman, executive director of Grand Rapids Whitewater, called the first equipment entering the river “an exciting experience” that reflects an 18-year commitment by the community.

Dam removal has quietly become one of the most effective tools in river conservation. Low-head dams block fish migration, trap sediment, warm the water and can be surprisingly dangerous to paddlers. Taking them out lets rivers behave like rivers again — flowing, oxygenated and connected from source to lake. For Grand Rapids, the payoff is both ecological and human: a healthier river running through the middle of the city, and, before long, real rapids where people can once again wade, fish and paddle. It is a hopeful example of a community choosing to undo an old mistake and let nature come rushing back.