Warren trustees vote unanimously to stop fight for Leavittsburg Dam

Warren trustees have unanimously voted to cease their fight to keep the Leavittsburg Dam up in a meeting held in the afternoon of Friday, June 20.

"All three of us [trustees] are very disappointed," said Warren Township Trustee Ed Anthony. "We fought so strongly for the dam because the residents wanted us to."

For almost six years, the demolition of the Leavittsburg Dam has been contested between Warren Township trustees, Trumbull County MetroParks and residents of Braceville.

Last December, the Trumbull County MetroParks board voted to reaffirm their approval of the demolition of the Leavittsburg Dam after the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency issued the parks board a permit granting permission to remove the dam.

Trustees decided to stop fighting against the demolition project approved by the parks board due to the increased financial demands of fighting for the dam in court.

Anthony told 21 News that trustees have spent around $50,000 since 2019 trying to keep the dam up, and would have to spend another $50,000 or more to bring the case to Ohio Supreme Court.

"We just can't continue to spend taxpayer's money on this fight," said Anthony.

The trustees believe the removal of the dam could pose a potential risk to the environment in the area due to the idea that polluted waters would disperse where the dam would otherwise contain them.

"We're still going to see the effects of all of this," said Anthony.

The Leavittsburg Dam Removal Project is set to begin this summer.

To view 21 News' past coverage on the Leavittsburg Dam, you can click the link here to find more stories.

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