Construction on Lynchburg, Va.'s College Lake Dam removal and stream restoration project has been completed, the city announced Nov. 24, 2025, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to public safety and environmental stewardship.
The removal of the high-hazard College Lake Dam, one of the municipality's top priorities following the August 2018 overtopping of the dam during a major rainstorm, has eliminated a long-standing safety risk to the community.
After the dam's demolition during the early stages of the construction project in May 2024, College Lake Dam was delisted as a high-hazard barrier, and downstream areas of Blackwater Creek no longer faced an inundation risk from a potential dam failure.
"This project was first and foremost a public safety project," said Erin Hawkins, the water quality manager of Lynchburg Water Resources, who oversaw the work for the city. "Removing the risk that this dam presented to people, property and infrastructure downstream of the old College Lake is a tremendous achievement for the [Lynchburg] and our partners in this effort."
Taking apart the structure resulted in the re-emergence of Blackwater Creek through the former lakebed of College Lake as well as reconnecting the upstream and downstream sections of the creek for the first time in 90 years.
The project's construction since the final breaching of the dam focused on restoration of the former lakebed of College Lake into a resilient, thriving ecosystem. This phase of work included:
• The removal and management of legacy sediment in the former lakebed of College Lake.
• construction of a new, stabilized stream channel for Blackwater Creek;
• stabilization of the floodplain area surrounding the stream;
• creation of new wetlands to improve water quality and encourage wildlife habitat; and
• stabilization of the former Lakeside Drive bridge as a future overlook.
Additional plantings of native grasses, shrubs and trees are scheduled for the late winter and early spring of 2026 along Blackwater Creek to continue the restoration. Because of this, and separate work happening on the Creekside Trail, the work area and trail remain closed to the public until further notice.
The best vantage point from which to see the newly stabilized Blackwater Creek and surrounding wetlands is from the sidewalk along the new Lakeside Bridge.
"One of the biggest takeaways from this project is that, while public safety was top of mind with the dam's removal, the restoration of Blackwater Creek and the wetlands around it really focused on environmental protection and water quality for [not only the creek, but] the James River and the Chesapeake Bay," Hawkins said. "We're already seeing this area come to life with native plants, pollinators and wildlife."
The entire project was performed in collaboration with the University of Lynchburg and in consultation with AECOM, a Texas-based environmental engineering firm; and with MBP, a construction management company located in Fairfax, Va.
The dam removal and stream restoration was completed by English Construction of Lynchburg and its subcontractor, Resource Environmental Solutions, a Texas company.
Lynchburg city officials also coordinated with multiple state and federal agencies, including the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Dam Safety, the state Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
