High St. Dam Removal Celebration
On May 21 at 11 a.m., federal, state, and local dignitaries will gather at Stanley Ironworks Park in Bridgewater, Mass., to celebrate completion of the High Street Dam removal and bridge reconstruction. This project is a national model demonstrating the environmental and community benefits of dam removals for restoring critical fish migration while increasing community resilience to climate change.
The river restoration removed the first barrier to migratory fish coming from Narragansett Bay and opened 10 miles of river. Species that benefit include alewife, blueback herring, American eel, sea lamprey, and American shad. Alewife also benefit from regaining access to 354 acres of spawning and rearing habitat in Lake Nippenicket.
The project improved infrastructure resilience to the impacts of climate change and public safety for the surrounding community. The dam had contributed to local flooding. The new 55-foot, clear-span bridge better accommodates peak river flows and prevents flooding of the town’s roadway and adjacent private property. It is designed to withstand a 500-year storm and climate change projections through 2070.
Project partners include The Nature Conservancy, Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Restoration Center, and Town of Bridgewater. It was funded in part by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
This is the latest in a series of barrier removals on tributaries to the 40-mile, National Wild and Scenic Taunton River, the longest, undammed, coastal river in New England. On the nearby Mill River in Taunton, removal of the Whittenton Mill Pond, Hopewell Mills, and West Britannia dams and construction of a fishway at Lake Sabbatia reconnected 30 miles and 560 acres of spawning and rearing habitats with the larger Taunton River and Narragansett Bay system. Populations of migratory fish have increased substantially.
This event is suitable for scientists, officeholders, and community members.
Additional Details
Name of contact person - Lauri Munroe-Hultman
Country - United States
Organizer
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
Venue
Established in 1691, the Bridgewater Iron Works at Stanley was the first to produce iron in the American Colonies and by 1860 it had become the largest producer of iron in the U.S. During the Civil War it manufactured ammunition and iron siding for our ships. The Iron Works industrial site was abandoned in 1988 and the land donated to the City of Bridgewater. Today a new forest is establishing itself on and around the ruins of the old stone and slate foundry building.
