Demolition begins on Raleigh's historic Milburnie Dam

The northeast Raleigh dam once powered parts of the city, but it hasn't produced electricity in two decades. It's now a landmark along the greenway in northeast Raleigh, but crews will soon start work to demolish the structure.

Demolition of the Milburnie Dam begins Wednesday. It's a change that safety officials and environmentalists agree needs to happen.

"From a river standpoint, this is a very good idea," said Steve White, from advocacy group American Rivers. "The best thing you can do for a river is take the dam out. From a wildlife and fish standpoint, we'll have spawning shad all the way up the river to the Falls dam."

White also points to public safety benefits that come with removal. When water is roaring over the dam people often get too close, White said.

"People are drawn to the hydraulic," he said. "They don't understand how dangerous it is, and they drown."

The water from the dam creates a dangerous situation for people in the water. WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said water falling over the dam can draw swimmers in and hold them under.

"The water comes over the dam, it sinks and it creates a circulation," Gardner said. "So, if you happen to be a swimmer, a tuber, a boater, and you go over that, it will hold you down at the bottom of the river."

Gardner, a certified whitewater kayak instructor, knows the danger of water over a dam.

"It circulates you, and you can't get your head up to the surface, and you will drown," Gardner said.

But the dam has plenty of historical significance for the City of Oaks. George Howard, of environmental restoration group Restoration Systems, said water from the dam powered some of the city's early innovations.

"This structure had a lot of utility to Raleigh at one point," Howard said. "It was the first to power the street cars. It lit the first street light, and it made the first ice in Raleigh."

Thedam no longer makes power, though, and it no longer makes sense to keep it across the river. Howard, the co-founder of the company, will help tear it down.

"Its time has passed, and it's time for the Milburnie Dam to go," Howard said.