Former Rome Dam Site

A hole can form at the former Rome Dam site, so be sure to stop and scout before running this rapid. The Rome Dam was a concrete structure on the West Branch of the Ausable River near Au Sable Forks, originally built in the late 1800s (and later rebuilt in the 1930s) to supply water and mechanical power for the J. & J. Rogers pulp and paper mills that once drove the local economy. After the mills closed in the early 1970s, the dam was left unused and gradually deteriorated, eventually raising safety concerns and limiting the river’s natural function. The Town of Jay approved its removal in 2017, and the dam was taken out in late summer and fall of 2018, restoring a free-flowing channel through the gorge and improving habitat and connectivity for the river system.