GREENFIELD — Mayor Ginny Desorgher and the Connecticut River Conservancy will bring their plans to remove the Wiley-Russell Dam before the Historical Commission to discuss the issue on Thursday.

Earlier this month, Desorgher signed a memorandum of understanding with the conservancy outlining plans for the dam’s removal. Although proponents of removing the dam argue that it will protect species of fish and other aquatic wildlife and reduce the area’s risk of flooding, the Historical Commission has been outspoken in its opposition to the Wiley-Russell Dam’s removal for more than a decade.

Historical Commission Chair John Passiglia said since the Wiley-Russell Dam, built in 1936, has ties to the Greenfield Tap and Die along with other key facets of the city’s industrial history, this makes it a historical landmark worthy of preservation. He noted that the dam’s timber crib construction made the structure itself historic.

“The dam is super historic. It’s kind of the dam that built the city. It’s the dam where John Russell started his cutlery in 1834, but the dam was there before that and it was used after that, and the Wiley and Russell company used it to make the first taps and dies in America,” Passiglia said. “The construction of the dam, being a timber crib dam, the way it is also makes it pretty historic. It’s important to the history of the town, in terms of the founding of the town ... and it’s important to the history of America, because this is kind of where the industrial revolution started in America — right here.”

The Wiley-Russell Dam’s potential removal also sparked controversy during former Mayor William Martin’s administration, when the Connecticut River Watershed Council rallied behind its removal under the argument that it negatively impacted migratory fish populations. Martin ultimately decided against the dam’s removal in January 2015 amid pushback from the Historical Commission, which advocated for its repair and preservation.

Passiglia also argued that although the dam does not threaten fish migratory patterns, its removal would. He said aquatic life has developed migratory patterns and ecosystems around the dam that would be disrupted by its removal.

“If you take the dam out, you’re going to kill all those fish and all this species in aquaculture that have been living there for, you know, 250 years, 300 years [in the impoundment behind the dam],” Passiglia said. “You’re going to turn the Green River into a trickle. It’ll be a foot deep. It’ll be super shallow and fish can’t live in water that shallow.”

In the event that the city follows through on the dam removal, Passiglia said the Historical Commission will likely vote to impose a demolition delay on the structure.

Desorgher said that although the city will discuss it with the commission, its decision to remove the dam is rooted in environmental protection. She said she is interested in meeting with the commission and “exploring ideas to commemorate the dam’s significance.”

“It’s better for the environment, it’s better for the fish,” Desorgher said. “We appreciate the Connecticut River Conservancy’s forward-thinking approach to preserving the natural resources we have here in the community, and this decision is ultimately being made in support of our environment and its preservation.”

On Tuesday, Nov. 5, City Council will hold a special meeting to read and discuss a request to fund a $197,000 emergency repair to the Electric Light and Power Dam, located less than a quarter mile from the Wiley-Russell Dam, after a letter sent from Department of Public Works Director Marlo Warner II to the council announced that divers found a 10-foot-by-6-foot void at the dam’s bottom center.

Warner wrote that the repairs must be made before winter. In an interview Thursday, Warner said that if the funds for the emergency repair are approved, the DPW aims to complete the emergency repair within a month’s time.

“The Office of Dam Safety and [the engineering firm] Fuss and O’Neil recognized the severity and recommended that an emergency action be put in place and repair this issue as soon as possible,” Warner wrote. “The dam is technically compromised right now because of that void. It’s toward the center that takes the pressure from the river. It was discovered as part of the engineering and design to do some repairs on that dam. … That dam needs to remain for the simple reason we have [water and sewer] infrastructure upstream that would be exposed.”

The Connecticut River Conservancy representatives could not be reached for comment.

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the dimensions of a void found at the center of the Greenfield Electric Light and Power Dam. The void is 10 feet by 6 feet. This article was also amended to more accurately detail the future of the Electric Light and Power Dam.