James Evans at the Ballville Dam in Fremont
Decision point
Evans advises on fate of aging dams
As America's aging dams come under scrutiny, Dr. James Evans, geology, finds himself increasingly called upon to lend his expertise to questions about their possible removal or rehabilitation.
Evans, a national authority in hydrology, engineering geology and geological hazards related to dams, has been much in the news recently related to the controversy surrounding the Ballville Dam on the Sandusky River in Fremont.
Although the dam has been found structurally unsafe and the Army Corps of Engineers, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the state's Department of Natural Resources Fish and Wildlife Division have all approved its removal, a surprising development occurred that put that action into question.
"For the first time in the history of the country, an environmental group has tried to stop the removal of a dam," Evans said.
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