The village of Dimondale, southwest of Lansing, like many communities across Michigan, was established because local river conditions offered a good source of power.

This summer, after years of dedicated effort, an innovative design in resource restoration was constructed on the Grand River that allowed the village's 150-year-old dam to be removed.

The innovation is called the 'W' weir design, and though it has been used in other states, this is the first time it has been used in Michigan. Built of rock placed at specific points and elevations in the river, the W-shaped weir is placed across the full width of the stream.

The rock structure is designed to direct the flow of water away from the banks and toward the center of the river. This helps to dissipate the river's energy that otherwise might erode the river banks and bed, and it will keep the sediments that once accumulated behind the dam from being washed downstream.

The design for the Dimondale project was created by Sandy Verry of Grand Rapids, Minn. Verry is a former employee of the USDA Forest Service and his company, Ellen River Partners, has been called in to assist with a number of river restoration projects.

"This structure was used because the river bed is three feet higher above the dam than below it. Just like an airplane loses power and stalls out if it climbs too steeply, this river as it flows over the weir is climbing and losing power, too," Verry said during construction of the weir as the enormous boulders, many weighing several tons, were lifted into place.

Verry said the W-shape will allow fish to easily swim past as they move upstream and recreational paddlers will be able to float downstream at all water levels, even under low water conditions that typically are found in late summer.

Dimondale's story has been repeated over and over across the state. A river with enough power frequently was dammed to harness the river's power around which a community could be established. It was common for the initial dam to power a small mill.

The village of Dimondale was established in 1848 by the enterprising Isaac M. Dimond. He built the first dam in 1850, and it was rebuilt after it failed only two years later.

The dam became part of the hydropower assets of the Consumers Power Company and ownership then was transferred to the Lansing Board of Water and Light. But time and neglect began to take its toll, and the structure suffered many failures over the years.

Eventually, the power production was too small to justify its continued use and the power production was abandoned. In 2001, the utility finally sold the dam and about 15 acres of surrounding riverfront property to the village for $1.

There may be up to 300 municipally owned dams in Michigan with a similar history. Today, many of these dams have deteriorated because of age, erosion, poor maintenance, flood damage and poor designs. And many of them no longer serve any useful purpose.

That's why the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division believes dam removal is an integral component of successful fisheries management and provides substantial river restoration benefits.

"The DNR provides support and technical assistance to dam owners interested in dam removal because it is an excellent way to improve water quality, fisheries habitat and recreational use," said Sharon Hanshue, manager of the Fisheries Division's Habitat Management Unit.

Removal, she said, also improves public safety.

"Young people are attracted to the water and these old dams often provide easy access but are in extremely poor structural condition," Hanshue said. "A child drowned in the mill race at the Dimondale dam in 1995. It's tragic when there is loss of life."

Although the actual work to remove the dam was completed in only about three weeks, it took several years of struggling to get the project designed, funded and permitted. The total cost to remove the dam was about $500,000.

"The village contributed a significant amount of internal resources to this effort over the 15 years it took to get here -- staff time for research, design, funding, grant and permit applications, site preparation and restoration, oversight, etc.," said Village Manager Denise Parisian. "With our limited financial resources it was critical for us to find partners for this project and to obtain the Inland Fisheries Grant from the DNR. Without them such a major improvement would not have been possible."

DNR fisheries managers expect fish and other aquatic species, such as freshwater mussels, to rebound in the area, and the DNR and DEQ will continue to do surveys to determine if and how the fishery, water quality and stream habitat are responding to the dam removal.

"Since the weir has been completed, anglers are routinely using the site and a youngster recently caught a 17-inch walleye out of one the pools of the weir," said Ralph Reznick, a village councilman who has been very involved with the project. "We're very confident that walleye will be spawning here next spring."

Parisian said the project also could lead to the development of a new park and trails that could improve public access and recreational use of this valuable resource.

"The river cuts through the heart of our village," Parisian said. "Removing the dam is the first step in our future plan to improve accessibility and recreational use."

Several other dam removal projects around the state recently have been completed or are in progress. Although Inland Fisheries Grant funding no longer is available for dam removal projects, the DNR Fisheries Division continues to provide support and guidance to owners.

"It's almost always cheaper to remove a dam than to keep fixing it, year after year," Hanshue said. "That's the bottom line for most owners, but the real reward is seeing people using the river again."