PETITION TO REMOVE OR MODIFY THE LAKE SPRINGFIELD DAM FOR PUBLIC SAFETY AND ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION ​

TO: The Board of Public Utilities of Springfield, Missouri

TO: The City Council of the City of Springfield, Missouri

As a nearby resident who has followed the decommissioning of the power plant and was an attendee at public planning sessions, I am asking the city to fund the modification of the 1957 dam or create a bypass to effectively change the flow of water, which would eliminate the dangerous current in the spillway, to then be a safer place for our citizens to enjoy without unnecessary hazards.

In the decade I’ve lived here, this structure has claimed at least five lives. Even though there is signage and warning buoys, it is not enough. The city already used grant money to design engineering solutions, which are publicly available at www.LakeSGFPlan.com

The dam no longer serves an industrial purpose, yet it remains a public safety hazard. Just as the city would immediately fix a dangerous, accident-prone roadway intersection, it needs to address this by funding and executing the plan it already paid to create. ​ 

WHEREAS, these types of dams are widely recognized by water safety experts, first responders, and engineering professionals as severe public hazards—often referred to as "drowning machines"—due to the invisible, high-velocity recirculating hydraulic undertows they create immediately downstream; and ​

WHEREAS, the dam on the James River at Lake Springfield (near South Kissick Avenue) has been the site of multiple preventable water-related tragedies and near-miss emergencies, including the devastating multi-victim incident in June 2026 that resulted in a prolonged recovery operation and put the lives of our dedicated Springfield Fire Department rescue personnel at extreme risk; and ​

WHEREAS, the original industrial utility of this structure has ceased following the full decommissioning and demolition of the James River Power Station, meaning City Utilities of Springfield no longer requires a hazardous, un-bypassable cooling pool barrier at this location to sustain power generation operations; and ​

WHEREAS, the officially accepted Lake Springfield Plan already identifies the modification or bypass of this structure as a critical opportunity to eliminate public safety liabilities, restore natural fish passages, improve water quality, and safely extend the James River Water Trail for regional recreation; and ​

WHEREAS, we, the undersigned residents, utility ratepayers, and stakeholders of the Springfield metropolitan area, believe that public safety must be the foundational priority of our community’s infrastructure investments; ​

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we respectfully urge and petition the Board of Public Utilities and the Springfield City Council to take immediate, coordinated action to: ​ Prioritize Funding Allocations: Allocate the necessary capital improvement funds or pursue federal infrastructure grants to execute the removal of the dam, or construct the engineered, safe recreational bypass channel outlined in the Master Plan. ​

Eliminate the Hydraulic Hazard: Ensure that any engineering solution completely eliminates the hazardous recirculating "roller" effect to secure the safety of paddlers, anglers, and families utilizing the river trail downstream. ​

Establish a Transparent Timeline: Provide the public with a clear, defined timeline for the engineering study, public comment phase, and eventual remediation of the site.