The Silver Creek Dam

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE SILVER CREEK DAM

The Silver Creek Dam at Glenwood Park (also known as the historic Glenmill Park Dam), built in 1903, originally served as a recreational site for an amusement park, offering activities like swimming and fishing. Today, it provides water for recreation, flood protection, drought support, and erosion prevention. A new park built recently, Silver Creek Landing, aims to enhance access to Silver Creek, but Origin Park, a Clark-County based corporation with $40 million in public taxpayer funds, seeks to remove the historic dam located at the park. Despite multiple attempts by the City of New Albany to meet with Origin Park to discuss the site, Origin Park has refused every request.

Recently, the City of New Albany undertook emergency maintenance to eliminate dangerous “hydraulic rollers” at the dam. A hydraulic roller is a dangerous recirculating current that can form at the base of a low-head dam, which can trap people, boats, and other objects. This emergency maintenance eliminated these hydraulic rollers, and restored the dam to its original condition.

If the dam is removed, replacement of the dam could cost over $2 million. If it is removed and not replaced, the removal could negatively impact water levels, erosion control, and property values. Compounding the issue, ownership of the dam remains uncertain, complicating maintenance and permitting for its removal.

In summary, the dispute boils down to a few simple questions:

1. Should an out-of-town corporation consisting of zero elected officials be able to sidestep and ignore local residents, local property owners, and local elected government officials?

2. Should an out-of-town corporation be able to enter property they do not own and destroy public infrastructure on it?

We believe the answer to these questions is no. The City will continue fighting to protect the property rights, interests, and infrastructure of the people of New Albany.

Most Recent Updates:

The City of New Albany recently requested another mediation, which would bring City Leaders and Origin Park officials to the table to discuss the site. This was after some common ground was found when Origin Park indicated that they have no plans to include Silver Creek in their park, but only want to improve the health and safety of the creek. The City of New Albany is in alignment with that objective, and has therefore asked for all parties to come together to the table to discuss the future of the area. To date, Origin Park officials have refused to meet with anyone from the City of New Albany after multiple attempts, but we are hopeful that they will finally decide to come talk with us.

Mediation Request filed by the City of New Albany:

New Albany’s Connection to Silver Creek

Silver Creek is an innate part of New Albany history, serving as a source of fresh water, a place of recreation, and an economic connection to the mighty Ohio River. Silver Creek is deeply rooted in our city’s history, and the City has been working on ways to reconnect the people of New Albany with their river heritage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Silver Creek Dam at Glenwood Park?

The Glenwood Park Dam was placed into service over 100 years ago in the early 1900s. The dam was built in 1903, and served a nearby amusement park as a place for wading, swimming, kayaking, and fishing.

(Learn more about the history of Glenwood Park here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21r0Gjs877E)

What purpose(s) does the dam currently serve?

The dam currently provides ample water supply for water recreation, including fishing, wading, swimming, and kayaking. It also provides a water supply during times of drought, serves as flood protection during times of high rain, and helps prevent erosion. 

What is Silver Creek Landing? 

Silver Creek Landing is a new park developed to provide access to Silver Creek. The City of New Albany began working on this project in 2016. The intention was to reconnect residents of New Albany with their River Heritage. You can read the original press release here: https://newalbanycityhall.com/home/2016/10/25/reconnecting-to-silver-creek

You can see before/after photos below of the improvements made to the site to make Silver Creek more accessible for city residents.

Who wants to remove the dam at Silver Creek Landing?

Origin Park, a Clark-county based private parks initiative, has filed a permit to destroy the dam located at Glenwood Park. 

Who is Origin Park?

Origin Park began as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the goal of constructing a “world-class park.” They reincorporated as a nonprofit corporation, and have accepted over $40 million in public funds. There are zero (0) elected officials overseeing this $40 million of public funds.

You can view the directors of Origin Park here: https://www.originpark.org/meet-our-team

Kent Lanum is the president of the Board of Directors. You can view the entire board here: https://www.originpark.org/governance

You can view the business documentation of Origin Park/River Heritage Conservancy here:

Certificate of Incorporation (November 22, 2016)
Certificate of Assumed Business Name (February 14, 2022)
Certificate of Assumed Business Name (April 28, 2023)
Certificate of Amendment (August 8, 2023)

What is the scale of Origin Park?

Officials with Origin Park have claimed that the park will generate over $250,000,000 annually through their 430-acre park. For comparison, Kings Island, another regional amusement park, is only 364 acres. Locally, Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay only cover 67 acres.

Why does Origin Park want to remove the dam?

Origin Park has cited safety concerns as a reason for removing the dam. The City of New Albany performed emergency maintenance in the summer of 2024 and eliminated all of the dangerous hydraulic rollers that were present at the site. That maintenance was successful, and that threat to swimmers and kayakers is no longer present at the site.

CEO of Origin Park, Dennis Schnurbusch II said the “key components” of River Heritage Conservancy’s plans for Silver Creek are the “health, wellness and safety of the creek itself. Those are all primary concerns for us,” he said. “Even though we’re not building the whitewater facility using Silver Creek…”

Even though Origin Park has 0 ownership of this area, and claims no desire to build anything along Silver Creek, they have spent approximately $600,000 fighting to remove a dam they do not own.

Why will Origin Park not meet with City officials to discuss the future of the site?

We do not know the answer to this question either. Mayor Gahan has initiated multiple requests for meetings with Origin Park officials, and all have been denied. The New Albany City Council unanimously (9-0) voted in favor of a meeting with Origin Park, and Origin Park also declined this opportunity to meet. Since Origin Park refused to meet with duly-elected officials, the only way to initiate discussion was through the courts.

How long has this legal dispute been ongoing?

The legal dispute has been ongoing for over three years.

Is public money being used to resolve this dispute?

Yes, public money is being used not only by the City of New Albany, but the Indiana DNR as well as the Army Corps of Engineers. Origin Park has received over $40 million in public funds and has stated that they have spent almost $600,000 in legal fees. Origin Park has claimed that those payments have come from “private donations from individuals and organizations.”

If removed, how much would it cost to replace the Silver Creek Dam?

If removed, estimates show a replacement could cost over $2 million. A dam near the city of Corydon was just removed, and residents have been displeased with the after effects (the creek has run dry in parts, erosion has begun in other areas, etc.)

What would happen if the dam was removed?

We believe that removing the dam would cause the water levels to lower, making fewer days available for water recreation. Removing the dam could also have negative impacts on erosion control, flood control, reduce water supply during the summer pool, and could hurt nearby property values.

What are the dangers of low-head dams?

Low-head dams have the potential to create a “hydraulic roller” effect. A hydraulic roller is a dangerous recirculating current that can form downstream of a low-head dam when water levels rise and can trap swimmers and kayakers. This dangerous effect is what the City successfully eliminated with its Emergency Maintenance in the summer of 2024.

What has the City done to improve safety at the site?

Mayor Gahan authorized emergency maintenance to restore the site to its original condition. In this historic photo, you can see that rock-fill was used to prevent the dangerous hydraulic roller effects from forming. After a century with little to no maintenance, hydraulic rollers developed and created a safety hazard. The maintenance initiated by Mayor Gahan was successfully in eliminating those dangerous hydraulic rollers and restored the dam to its original condition. To date, the dam is now in a state of good repair, has survived severe storms associated with hurricane season, and is performing as originally intended.

Who owns the dam, and why was it not maintained for so many years?

No one truly knows who owns the Silver Creek Dam. Dam owners are responsible for maintenance and safety, but there are no owners on file for the Silver Creek Dam. In the court dispute, the City of New Albany fought for ownership of the dam so that we could perform the maintenance, but we were denied by the court. This is currently under appeal.

Why is ownership of the dam important?

First, dam owners are responsible for upkeep, maintenance, and safety at dam locations. Whoever owns the dam has been negligent in keeping the area safe.

Second, ownership is a key component in the permitting process. To apply for a permit through DNR to remove the dam, you must either A) prove ownership of the location, or B) have the owner’s permission to perform work at the location. You cannot simply enter your neighbor’s property and destroy their garage without the owner’s permission – the same logic applies here. 

In a permit filed with DNR, Origin Park’s contractor stated that they had permission from the owner to enter the property and remove the dam (even though the owner is an unknown entity). The City challenged this in court, which would render Origin Park’s permit invalid.

What does the Blackiston Mill Dam have to do with this?

The Blackiston Mill Dam is another dam located along Silver Creek. This dam is located in Clark County. To date, no permits have been filed to alter, destroy, or remove this dam, even though it has the same safety concerns as New Albany’s Glenmill Dam used to have before the emergency maintenance eliminated them This has led many in New Albany to question the true motives behind Origin Park’s efforts to destroy the Glenmill Park Dam. Why would a corporation in Clark County be concerned with a dam outside of their jurisdiction, but ignore the one right in their own backyard?