Grand River Rapids Returning to Grand Rapids in 2025

It's been decades in the making, but it's officially happening: the rapids are returning to the Grand River. This project has experienced so many setbacks over the years that most people didn't think it would ever reach completion. But only a few short months from now, construction inside the Grand River will begin to remove the dams that have long altered the river's flow.

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But it's been a long road to get to this point. Here's when rapids will return and how the City got to this point after years of trying.

TSM

The Grand Rapids Project: A Brief Summary

Since Grand Rapids White Water began its mission to bring the rapids back to the river in 2009, it has faced rejection or delays for much of that time, including as recently as 2023. But in 2024, the project was approved by the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), but it hit yet another snag after the final federal review took longer than expected, leading to further delays.

Why The Rapids Were Removed 100 Years Ago

Before Grand Rapids was known as Beer City, it was known as Furniture City and had a major lumber industry. The river's powerful rapids were used to transport logs downriver. However, due to the rapids' uncontrollable nature, logging jams were known to occur, as in 1883, and flooding was a consistent issue.

Engineering Department, “Log Jam On The Grand River,” City of Grand Rapids Archives and Records Center

A Grand River Flood in 1911. / Engineering Department, “Grand River Flood,” City of Grand Rapids Archives and Records Center,

To better harness the river for both logging and hydroelectric energy, a series of dams was built from 1849 to 1926. While these 5-6 dams successfully controlled the river's nature, the downside was that the river lost its rapids, becoming what it is today.

The river's reconstruction is only one of the major changes coming to Grand Rapids in the coming years. View more below.