The amboy DAM removal project at ninemile creek includes the replacement of the DAM with grade control structures and will address habitat restoration and recreational enhancements within the onondaga…

The U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 5 awarded a $193,053 Cooperative Agreement to the Oswego County Soil & Water Conservation District on June 1, 2025, under the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) Program (CFDA 15.658) to remove and replace the Amboy Dam at Ninemile Creek within the Onondaga Lake Watershed. The project, with a completion date of September 30, 2026, will deliver complete removal of the existing dam structure and its replacement with step-pool grade control structures, along with associated bank stabilization and native vegetation replanting along stream banks. Key deliverables include the fully completed project and a professionally certified engineer statement verifying conformance to project drawings and management plans.

The project addresses habitat restoration and recreational enhancement objectives outlined in the 2017 Onondaga Lake Natural Resource Damage Assessment Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment. Expected outcomes include restoration of Ninemile Creek to support native plants, amphibians, fish, and wildlife populations, as well as increased safe public recreational access to the Onondaga Lake Watershed. The primary beneficiaries are the public and the natural resources within the watershed.

The amboy DAM removal project at ninemile creek includes the replacement of the DAM with grade control structures and will address habitat restoration and recreational enhancements within the onondaga lake watershed as described in the 2017 onondaga lake natural resource damage assessment restoration plan and environmental assessment. The proposal includes the replacement of the DAM with grade control structures and will address habitatrestoration and recreational enhancements within the onondaga lake watershed. Award purpose: this project addresses the preferred restoration alternatives of habitat restoration andrecreational enhancements as described in the 2017 onondaga lake natural resource damage assessment restorationplan and environmental assessment. Activities to be performed include: replacement of the DAM with step-pool grade control structures which willinvolve project mobilization, removal of perpendicular face of the DAM, installation of step-pool grade controlstructures, bank stabilization, replanting the stream banks to native trees and shrubs, and monitoring. Deliverables include: 1) completed project, and 2) professorial engineer signed and sealed statement verifyingconformance of the DAM removal and replacement with the drawings, and management plans. Expected outcomes include: 1) restoration of ninemile creek for native plants, amphibians, fish and wildlife, and 2) increased safe recreational access of the onondaga lake watershed for the public. Intended beneficiaries on the project include the public and the natural resources within the onondaga lakewatershed.