Freeport McMoRan plans to remove what’s left of a 105-year-old dam in Clarkdale rather than repair it.
The dam, which was breached when the Verde River swelled last month with recent storm run-off, diverted the company’s allotment of Verde River water into Peck’s Lake, a reservoir that was created when the dam was built.
Doug Von Gausig, Executive Director of the Verde River Institute and the mayor of Clarkdale, says what was once a pond behind the dam is now a large area of sandbars and riffles.
“Which are very, very high quality ecosystems for things like the macro-invertebrates and the native fish that live in the river.”
He hopes this decision will provide needed information when it comes time to consider the future of other dams on the Verde.
“They act as, number one, fish barriers, but also as barriers to recreational users.”
Von Gausig says recreational users like kayakers and birders are a major contributor to the area’s tourism industry.
Freeport McMoRan has not announced when it will remove what’s left of the Clarkdale Dam, or how it will now get its allocation into Peck’s Lake.
