Removal of Remaining Abbott's Mill Dam under Main Street Bridge

The Lake County Engineer’s Office will begin work on removing approximately 106 cubic yards of concrete and steel remnant dam materials from the Grand River near the East Main Street Bridge in Painesville. All dependent on dry weather, an estimated end date of September 15 has been set.

 

This project is financed in part through a grant from the State of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) under the provisions of Section 319(h) of the Clean Water Act. The project will improve floodplain access and restore natural flow along at least 500 linear feet of downstream areas on both river banks.

 

The goal of this project is to reduce pollutants in the water shed, improve flow and water quality by returning natural sediment transport, reduce riverbank erosion, and improve aquatic habitat and fish passage.

 

Abbott’s Mill occupied the west bank of the Grand River from the 1860s through 1958 when it was destroyed in a catastrophic fire. The remaining portions of the structure were scrapped out in 1960. Previous to Abbott’s Mill, this location saw at least two other mills dating back to 1807.