It’s obvious, simply from reading the Seneca Nation of Indians’ comments in a recent news release signaling productive talks between the nation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that the Kinzua Dam is still an open wound for the Seneca Nation.

The agreement comes as the Army Corps of Engineers is preparing for an upcoming dam safety modification study to plan for the future of the Kinzua Dam, which was built in the 1960s to help alleviate flooding in Pittsburgh and provide hydropower for downstream users.

The Seneca Nation lost 10,000 acres of land and hundreds of Seneca Nation families were forced to move.

“It’s been more than 60 years since the devastating removal of our people and the loss and destruction of our lands. We were never justly compensated for that destruction,” Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca said in announcing a new memorandum of understanding between the nation and the Army Corps of Engineers in Pittsburgh.

In 2020, the Kinzua Dam was rated by the Army Corps of Engineers with a Dam Safety Action Classification of DSAC-2. DSAC-1 is a classification that suggests a dam is almost certain to fail within a few years under normal operations – so it really is time for serious conversations about the Kinzua Dam’s future. The Seneca Nation should have a seat at the table as the dam’s future is discussed. What happens when that table fills up will be interesting. The Seneca Nation wanted the Kinzua Dam to be built elsewhere when the project was conceived in the 1950s. It’s a position the Senecas are likely to push again depending on the dam’s condition as the dam safety modification progresses 61 years after the Kinzua Dam was completed. Seneca said in the news release announcing the memorandum of understanding with the Army Corps of Engineers that the nation still believes the dam should be moved downstream if serious concerns with the Kinzua Dam are found.

“Any talk of rebuilding the dam reopens those wounds,” Seneca said. “If the Corps finds any concerns about the safety and condition of the dam, then in our opinion, it should be removed with a new dam built downstream. Under the framework of the MOU we signed today, the nation will have meaningful input on what ultimately happens.”

That means whatever ends up in the Army Corps’ dam safety modification study is a story worth following for everyone in northwestern Pennsylvania.