Wherever you stand on the future of the Springbank Dam, you'll have your chance to speak about its fate next month.
A public participation meeting focusing on whether the controversial dam should be fixed or decommissioned will be held March 8.
The Civic Works Committee agreed to let Londoners weigh-in on the dam's future after much debate Tuesday.
Springbank Dam has been out of operation since 2006 when work on a multi-million dollar upgrade began. During testing of the upgrade in 2008, the dam malfunctioned when bolts attaching one of the four new gates and its hinge snapped.
The malfunction that left the dam inoperable prompted the city to launch a $5-million lawsuit against the contractors in April 2009. The lawsuit was settled in the fall of 2015 with the city receiving $3.775-million while no party admitted to being liable.
With the lawsuit out of the way the idea of once again repairing the dam has come front and centre. Mayor Brown made fixing the dam a priority in his election platform but a growing chorus of voices wants the dam left as it is.
London-Fanshawe MP Irene Mathyssen penned an open letter to council last week urging the city to decommission the dam. That sentiment is echoed by members of the Chippewa of the Thames First Nations and many environmentalists.
They argue there is scientific evidence that the health of the Thames River is better without the dam in operation.
Springbank Dam was originally put in place in 1930 to slow the river in Springbank Park for recreational purposes.
