H2Ohio to fund lowhead dam removal in Clermont County

Bethel, Ohio — As part of Gov. Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio initiative, the Ohio DNR (ODNR) will remove a low-head dam on Cloverlick Creek in Clermont County to improve water quality in the stream.

The Cloverlick Dam removal project is a collaboration between the ODNR H2Ohio Rivers Program, Division of Wildlife, Clermont Soil and Water Conservation District, and the village of Bethel.

Cloverlick Creek begins in Brown County and flows 14 miles westward into William H. Harsha Lake in East Fork State Park, draining 42 square miles of watershed. The defunct low-head dam has degraded stream habitat, the abundance of fish species, and overall hydrology.

Removing the 200-foot-wide dam will reconnect 86 miles of stream along Cloverlick Creek, a major tributary located in the Clermont County portion of the East Fork Little Miami River watershed. The project is intended to improve water quality in the stream, watershed, and downstream into the reservoir by restoring the stream gradient, floodplain connectivity, and fish passage.

Fish, mussels, invertebrates, and migratory birds stand to benefit from restored stream and riparian habitats.

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In addition, the dam removal will eliminate a public safety hazard and create safer recreational opportunities, such as paddling and fishing.

“We know that having successful partnerships is critical to success in the H2Ohio initiative,” said ODNR Director Mary Mertz. “Collaborating with others also spreads the word about all of the great work being done.”

Dam removal is expected to begin in 2025. Project partners plan to complete restoration in 2026, and monitoring fish populations, habitat assessment and species removal will continue into 2028. The dam removal is also supported by many local partners, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Clermont County Park District, Clermont County Office of Public Information, Brown Soil and Water Conservation District, Tate Township, and the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Council of Governments.

The H2Ohio Rivers program will provide $920,000 to support the project. An additional federal grant totaling $1.1 million, which is vital to the project, was awarded to ODNR’s Division of Wildlife through the America the Beautiful Challenge.

The America the Beautiful Challenge is a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation public-private grant program to fund landscape-level projects that address priority conservation and restoration needs. Nationwide, the program funded 61 projects in 2024 totaling $122.4 million in grants. H2Ohio is DeWine’s statewide water quality initiative designed to address complex issues impacting Ohio’s waters.

Launched in 2019, H2Ohio uses a comprehensive approach guided by science and data to reduce algal blooms.