The final step has been completed: the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has approved the City of Traverse City’s joint permit application for the removal of Brown Bridge Dam on the Boardman River. The action clears the way for deconstruction of the first of three dams planned for removal on the Boardman. Contractors plan to start work by August 15, and construction work is expected to be complete by the end of this year. What will happen? First, removal of the powerhouse structure and then the relocation of thousands of tons of sediment that have accumulated in Brown Bridge pond and within the original or “relic” channel area since the dam was built nearly 90 years ago. When the work at Brown Bridge is completed, 1.5 miles of river will be restored, 145 miles of high-quality river habitat will be reconnected, and 150 acres of upland and wetland, as well as riparian forest habitat, will be restored, says Frank Dituri, Chairman of the Boardman River Dams Implementation Team.