FRANKLIN — A healthier Harpeth River one day could flow through Franklin with the removal of the only dam currently standing on the river’s 125-mile path.

That low-head dam belongs to the city of Franklin and been used since 1963 to pool water to pump as part of the city’s fresh water supply.

Times and rivers change.

Details are expected to emerge Thursday before members of Franklin’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen about a three-year, $945,000 plan to remove the dam without compromising Franklin’s future ability to draw water.

The project, which caps months of work on the part of the nonprofit Harpeth River Watershed Association as well as state and local agencies, could help a river with a history of environmental troubles.

Portions of the Harpeth River, including this area, have been identified by state regulators as violating one or more water quality standards. This project would improve a number of the river’s violations by enriching nutrients in the river, improving its levels of dissolved oxygen and boosting fish habitats, said Dorie Bolze, executive director of the HRWA.

“The beauty of this project is the river is restored with modern natural stream features,” said Bolze.

Paying for the work won’t rest solely on the city’s shoulders. The total project cost of $945,000 includes in-kind donations as well as $350,000 in grants that Bolze has secured from the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership and the National Fish Habitat Action Plan managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Removing the dam will restore a free flow to the river’s upper 36 miles without the river being pooled in the 1.7 mile long “impoundment” where its been pumped out into Franklin’s reservoir for treatment as drinking water. The dam removal likely would not occur until sometime next summer.

By Kevin Walters • The Tennessean • March 9, 2010