New Small Dam Projects in the Pipeline

By Ian Cooke, Executive Director of the Neponset River Watershed Association

Originally posted on the NepRWA blog on March 3, 2014

After some initial setbacks, our small dams program has regrouped and is now targeting three dams on Pine Tree Brook in Milton. We've also been working on a list of "micro" dams that can be remediated using volunteer crews.

Last spring, the Neponset Watershed Association launched a new “Small Dams Program” with the help of more than 100 local donors, a challenge grant and support from Patagonia and the NLT Foundation. The goal is to begin addressing more than 100 obsolete dams on the Neponset and its tributaries, which collectively take a heavy toll on the health of the river and the fish and wildlife that depend on it.

Harland Street flood control dam.

However, just a few months after launching the effort, we were sent back to the drawing board when the two pilot

Harland Street flood control dam.

sites we had selected ran into trouble with landowners who were initially supportive but were not ready to move forward in the end.

We have spent the last several months regrouping, and I’m pleased to report that we seem to be back on track with several new possibilities in the pipeline. During the fall we revisited the comprehensive survey of dams across the watershed that we had completed with the help of volunteers a number of years ago, filled in some of the missing pieces, and went through an exercise to prioritize potential restoration sites.

The result is a new focus on three small dams along Pine Tree Brook in Milton. The three dams lie on land owned by the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and/or the Town of Milton between Canton Avenue and Unquity Road, near the Ulin Rink. Two are small dams with no modern purpose, and no aesthetic or other public use. The third is the Harland Street flood control dam, which is one of only two flood control dams in the Watershed, but it appears that a minor modification could restore fish passage without impacting flood control operations.

The upper reaches of Pine Tree Brook are believed to support a wild trout population, and restoration at these three sites could potentially be a benefit to this iconic and relatively rare species. Over the longer term, modifications at the Pope’s Pond Dam further downstream could potentially open all of Pine Tree Brook to migratory herring and shad spawning, once fish passage is restored at the Baker Dam. However, work at Pope’s Pond would be considerably more complex and is not part of the immediate project.  dams along Pine Tree Brook. Click image to enlarge

Map of dams along Pine Tree Brook.

Following site visits with staff from DCR and the Milton DPW, a decision was made to submit these three sites to be considered as “priority projects” with the Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) within the Mass. Department of Fish and Game. Priority project status would officially put these dams on DER’s workplan, opening the way for technical assistance and potentially for additional funding down the road. In the meantime, we are getting ready for a site visit with a panel of volunteer experts representing various technical disciplines from engineering to biology, drawn from the ranks of academia and other interested professionals who live in the Watershed.

We are also working on pulling together a short list of “micro-dams.” These are mostly little more than a few rocks piled in a stream that could easily be disassembled by a small group of volunteers in an afternoon. Even though there isn’t much to these mini structures, they still have a significant impact on stream habitat and aquatic wildlife by fragmenting stream habitats, and trapping fish in small, isolated stream reaches. After doing some permitting work on these mini structures (yes, even things this small still need permits!) we hope to organize some volunteer dam removal parties.

Special thanks to Margaret Kearns of Instar Ecology who has been helping to lead our small dam program over the last few months.

For more information, contact Ian Cooke at cooke@neponset.org.

To read the original post, click here.

Did You Know? Rainbow Smelt Restoration is Underway

by Dorie Stolley, Coordinator and Outreach Manager for Watershed Action Alliance of Southeastern Massachusetts

Rainbow smelt are similar in lifestyle to the mighty alewife and blueback herring. These diminutive forage fish are anadromous - they hatch in freshwater, travel to the ocean to grow to adulthood, then, return annually to their natal waters to reproduce. Once they were widely celebrated throughout coastal Massachusetts in late winter for their savory flavor as hordes were caught, coated in flour, fried and eaten with gusto. Now, only a few tenacious fishermen and their families experience this delight. Overfishing, pollution and dams are a few of the factors to blame for the decline of this once regionally important fish.

Two centuries ago rainbow smelt spawned in rivers as far south as the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia; now their southernmost spawning area is in Buzzard’s Bay in southeastern Massachusetts. Rainbow smelt numbers have been dropping since the 1800’s when people caught them in nets by the thousands during the late winter spawning runs. Harvesting large numbers of fish before they were allowed to reproduce in this manner was blamed for a noticeable decrease in smelt numbers, and in 1868 the Massachusetts State legislature banned the taking of smelt by net during the spawning run. By 1874, all methods of fishing except hook and line were forbidden year-round in all but a few rivers. While some local smelt fisheries reported a rebound, statewide the decline continued right up until 2004 when the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared them a federal Species of Concern. Now, work is underway to better understand the reasons for the decline and to restore their numbers across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.

To restore smelt, their basic spawning needs must be met; these can be summed up in a few words: clean, flowing water. To a rainbow smelt, clean water means very low levels of dissolved contaminants, nutrients and sediment, all of which can kill vulnerable eggs. Flowing water means enough water to swim in, as well as the absence of obstacles, like dams or improperly positioned culverts, which can impede movement upstream to prime spawning areas of fairly fast-flowing, highly oxygenated water.  

When we work to benefit rainbow smelt, we increase the health of a river delivering a myriad of benefits to other wildlife, to humans and to the watershed as a whole. For instance, removing derelict dams allows smelt, river herring and other migratory fish to move along the river, and also can decrease the risk of catastrophic flooding, liability to the dam owner, and mosquito breeding habitat and increase human recreational opportunities. In another example, filtering polluted rainwater runoff from roads before it gets to our streams will increase water quality for all living creatures that live in it or drink it, including people.

The State of Massachusetts is working with New Hampshire and Maine to develop a regional plan to conserve and restore smelt. We can also do our part for smelt, herring and other wildlife that depend on our region’s rivers. Most measures are relatively easy such as leaving streamside vegetation in place or planting streamside trees and shrubs. Other measures provide both cost savings and habitat benefits, such as using minimal fertilizer on lawns and gardens. Asking your town to reduce its use of road salt and sand near streams and supporting the purchase of conservation lands that include spawning streams provide additional benefits.

To make an even bigger difference and add your voice to that of your neighbors, join your local watershed association. These groups are working together to improve water quality, human and ecosystem health, and recreational opportunities.  Find your watershed organization by visiting watershedaction.org.

School of rainbow smelt

Images and information from:

Informative website - http://restorerainbowsmelt.com

Brochure on rainbow smelt http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/species/rainbow_smelt_brochure_08102010.pdf 

Rainbow Smelt Conservation Plan for the Gulf of Maine http://restorerainbowsmelt.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Smelt-Conservation-Plan-final.pdf       

Did You Know? Clean, Plentiful and Free Flowing Water in 2013 Thanks to Watershed Associations

by Dorie Stolley, Watershed Action Alliance Coordinator and Outreach Manager

With Thanksgiving recently passed and the New Year on its way, it’s a good time to look back over the year and the accomplishments of watershed associations in southeastern Massachusetts, which work for clean, plentiful and free flowing water for both wildlife and people.

Clean Water. This year scores of watershed volunteers across the region participated in cleanup efforts, removing debris that can strangle streams, plastic that can poison fish and people, and old traps and other items that can mutilate or kill wildlife. For example, one hundred shopping carts, 12 bicycles, toilets and tires were hauled out of the choked Neponset River during one day in August. Plastic drink bottles by the hundreds, several lobster traps and innumerable pieces of Styrofoam were gleaned from the mouth of the Eel River in November.  The Butt Brigade was launched in Narragansett Bay to gather data about discarded cigarette butts, which will be used to target solutions for this insidious littering problem.

Volunteers haul a shopping cart out of the Neponset River in August.

Other things that foul our water are less visible. Common pollutants include pesticides, bacteria, and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which, in excess, can over fertilize water causing rampant algae and plant growth. The algae can clog waterways, choke out useful plants and even lower oxygen levels causing fish kills.  The biggest nutrient problems come from wastewater treatment plants, leaky sewage systems, and untreated polluted runoff from roads and yards during storms, which also can provide a lot of bacteria. To combat these evils, in 2013 watershed associations worked on a host of projects including installing rain gardens, pushing for better regulations for wastewater treatment plants and proposing less costly alternative to updating septic systems.

Rain gardens not only remove nutrients from runoff, they filter out other pollutants and sediment, which makes them cost effective in the fight to prevent tainted water from entering our streams. A rain garden is strategically placed in a depression near a runoff source, like a road that channels water or the edge of a parking lot. It is planted with deep-rooted native plants, which also beautify the landscape, and must be maintained periodically for best performance.

Westport, MA is enjoying numerous new rain gardens and avoiding the costs of more expensive rainwater runoff treatment techniques because of a partnership between the Westport River Watershed Alliance, the Town of Westport and the Buzzard’s Bay National Estuaries Program. Volunteers contribute to this work, too: for instance, they planted over 500 plants in the rain gardens at the Westport Middle School.

Other ways that watershed associations in southeastern Massachusetts worked to achieve cleaner water included identifying areas where nonpoint source pollution was worst and working with towns to install structural filters, recommending practices for protecting groundwater and Cape Cod Bay for the Plymouth Nuclear Power Plant, and educating residents on how to keep pollutants out of the water, for instance, by cleaning up pet waste and using minimal amount of fertilizer (or none) on lawns.

New sign in Scituate reminding watershed
residents to conserve  water.

Plentiful Water. Not only did watershed associations work to keep water clean, they worked to keep it plentiful. Plentiful water in streams and rivers is necessary for river herring to travel upstream to spawn in the spring. In the summer and fall, the outmigration of young herring from their hatching grounds in freshwater to the ocean where they spend much of each year is dependent on adequate water as well. To this end, in 2013, summer residential water restrictions on alternate days put in place by North and South Rivers Watershed Association once again saved 30,000 gallons per day on First Herring Brook in Scituate. A new sign reminding residents to conserve water during summer months and thanking them for their efforts during times of adequate streamflow was installed along a major travel route.

2013 saw a giant step forward in the decades-long effort to restore adequate streamflow to the Jones River in Kingston. Silver Lake is the headwaters of the Jones, however, the City of Brockton withdraws so much water from it that the stream has not flowed normally for decades to the great detriment of wildlife, particularly aquatic species such as river herring. This year, as part of the Sustainable Water Management Initiative, a grant allowed for a report on water use operations of Silver Lake and the nearby Monponsett Ponds. Its conclusions were that the present use is not sustainable and is detrimentally impacting the ecological health of the river, meaning that more water is needed to flow in the Jones. The completion of this report is an important step in returning enough water to the Jones for fish to flourish and the ecosystem as a whole to thrive.

 

Plantings on the restored stream bank by the former
Whittenton dam in the Taunton watershed.

Free Flowing Water. This year saw much headway on projects to remove outdated dams that block the flow of water, form obstructions to river herring and other migratory fish and trap stagnant water. For instance, in the Taunton watershed, after 170 years in place, the Whittenton dam came down and its waters were released back into the original channel. Within weeks, a crew rebuilt its stream banks and replanted the wetlands. It is the second of three dams along the Mill River to be removed. Once the third is gone, an unprecedented 30 miles of habitat will be opened up to migratory fish like river herring and American Eel. Other benefits of this project are the elimination of the risk of catastrophic flooding from a breach of the dam and new recreational opportunities for residents.

This is just a smattering of all of the work done by watershed associations in 2013. The member organizations of Watershed Action Alliance work for you to protect water resources and the wildlife that depends upon them and to provide opportunities for water recreation. Join your association to support their work. To find your watershed association, visit http://watershedaction.org.

Looking Back: My Time with WAA

Today’s Blogger is Shalen!

Me kayaking down the North River

Wow, I marvel at how this year raced by: I can’t believe it’s December! December for me means frantically preparing for the semester’s finals, and it’s also a time for reflection on my accomplishments and experiences of the year. These past six months with WAA have been amazing, life changing ones, during which I learned an incredible amount about climate change, watershed recreation, dam restoration, marsh restoration, rain gardens, and much more. Most importantly, I met many of the incredible individuals who dedicate themselves to their organizations. I’ve visited seven watersheds (Neponset River, Jones River, North and South Rivers, Herring Ponds, Westport River, Back River, and Narragansett Bay) and their acompanying associations. Before beginning my time with WAA, I honestly did not know much about southeastern Massachusetts, other than about the famed Plimoth Plantation and Plymouth Rock.

Dorie and me at the Pawtuxet River, Narragansett Bay watershed

            I’m from Woburn on the North Shore of Massachusetts, and spend most of my time north of Boston, apart from my semesters at Stonehill College. To have the opportunity to spend so much time learning about and traveling to the southeastern Massachusetts watersheds has been an enriching and unique experience, to say the least. I’ve had completely new and fun experiences that I never otherwise would have had: I kayaked for the first time in the 2013 Wampanoag Paddle with the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, cruised down the Back River for a boating event organized by State Representative Murphy, and canoed part of the Jones River in Kingston. Working with Dorie, the WAA coordinator and outreach manager, and all of WAA’s amazing allies and members has only strengthened and reaffirmed my commitment to the environment, to sustinable living, and to fighting to make this world a safe and healthy one in which future generations of all beings can flourish. To learn more about each of these watershed associations, please visit WAA’s website here: http://watershedaction.org/.

Some of my most memorable trips were ones in which I saw children engaged and excited in learning about their local environments. Children are curious and inquisitive, and instilling in them a respect and love for the environment at an early age is crucial. The Westport River Watershed Alliance and Save the Bay—Narragansett Bay are two of the organizations that have classrooms in their headquarters. However, outreach and  education are very important to all of WAA’s member organizations, and many take their programs into the schools or out on the rivers!

Me at the 2013 Wampanoag Paddle, thanks to NSRWA

As a senior English major, I’m badgered about my plans after college, and many of my family members assume that since I’m an English major, I must want to teach. Until now, I thought teaching was out of the question (I’m not cut out for a career in a traditional education system), however, now I could see myself teaching in a different way. Would I be willing to share my experiences to encourage and educate others to get involved in saving our local ecosystems as well as the biosphere as a whole? Absolutely.Visiting Save the Bay at Narragansett Bay, and seeing their interactive labs, classrooms, and education vessels invigorated me in a way I was not expecting in this regard.

            I never imagined I would be able to help WAA and its member associations as much as I have in the past six months. I’m proud of my accomplishments and even more so that my work is improving WAA’s mission of outreach and education. While I already know the virtues and benefits of utilizing social media in 

Me in the Neponset River watershed

this digital age, I discovered the virtue of personal networking and face-to-face communication. Fostering personal relationships is the most important thing you can do in any field, but especially among environmental organizations. I had a taste of this networking in visiting both the Back River and Herring Ponds watersheds, especially.

One of the watershed issues that I’ve learned most about over the past year is how many obstacles river herring face in trying to spawn in local waterways. Many of WAA’s member watershed associations commit themselves to removing dams, installing fish ladders where needed, and restoring habitat so the herring have a clear path upstream. The largest fish ladder by far that I’ve seen in person is the Weymouth Herring Run in Jackson Square (in the Back River watershed), consisting of five fish ladders. The Jones River Watershed Association’s efforts contributed to the removal of the Wapping Road Dam in Kingston on the Jones River.

I am most proud of my contribution to WAA’s blog, which I effectively ran during the summer months of my internship.  I loved having the opportunity to visit our member associations, meet all these spectacular people, and write blog posts about my visits and experiences. Delving into a particular watershed, learning about its people, topography, issues, and successes was refreshing and made me realize how unique each watershed is. I enjoyed every moment of writing for WAA, and the Did You Know? articles were no exception. My favorite DYK article was actually my first one, concerning the controversy surrounding Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, MA, and the detriment caused by its open-cycled cooling system, which sucks in water from Cape Cod Bay and impinges thousands of fish in its system. I wrote about the need for closed-cycle cooling, because closed-cycle cooling would not emit warm, polluted water back into the bay. Instead of being discharged, the water used in CCC is recycled through the reactor. My interest in the subject did not stop when I published my article, but rather Pilgrim continues to be on my radar at every moment. My in-depth research on this article motivates me to continually stay informed.

I'm at the Weymouth Herring Run

Needless to say, my work with WAA has left me with a strong sense of purpose, a passion, and a reaffirmation that working in the environmental field is something I want to do after graduation. People have said that I would discover what I love in college, and thanks to WAA, I definitely have! 

Are you curious about my current work in social media with WAA? Click here to see our Facebook page and Twitter feed to see what I’ve been working on!

The Off Billington Street Dam Comes Down!

Time lapse videography by the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration captured the demolition of the Off Billington Street dam on Town Brook in Plymouth. One less obstacle for river herring and other migratory fish.

Bringing Rivers Back to Life in Southeastern Massachusetts

Our blogger today is Dorie Stolley, Coordinator and Outreach Manager for Watershed Action Alliance.

Yesterday, I went on a tour of river restoration projects in southeastern Massachusetts sponsored by the Sheehan Family Foundation. Our tour guide was Alison Bowden of The Nature Conservancy. Numerous representatives of state agencies, watershed associations and other conservation organizations shared their experiences and expertise. This blog presents some of what I learned about the huge benefits of river restoration.

Rivers and their wildlife, such as fish, turtles, birds and even bugs, are part of our great natural heritage here in southeastern Massachusetts. Unfortunately, dams, pollution, and high water use have damaged and diminished our once clean, free-flowing and lively watercourses. The good news is that concerned people and organizations are joining together to restore our rivers with projects that benefit water, wildlife and our local economies. What follows are four examples from around the region of river restoration projects in various stages of completion.

The site of the former Whittenton Street dam is well on its way to
 becoming a beautiful stream side park.

For instance, in Taunton, the state of Massachusetts is leading the country in protecting the environment, preventing flooding and creating jobs at the same time. An obsolete dam on the Mill River called the Whittenton Street dam made national headlines in 2005 when heavy rains led to its near failure. Two thousand people were evacuated from their homes and schools, offices and businesses were closed for two days. Conservation organizations, such as Save the Bay – Narragansett Bay, teamed up to remove the dam this year and restore the river to a natural channel and flow to prevent future catastrophe, benefit wildlife, alleviate dam owner liability and create a beautiful natural area that people can enjoy. 

Another successful river restoration project is well on its way to completion in America’s hometown: Plymouth. Here river herring are returning to the same stream the Wampanoag and Pilgrims harvested them from for food and fertilizer centuries ago. The 1.5 mile long Town Brook flows out of Billington Sea, which encompasses 269 acres of spawning habitat. Town Brook, a small stream, had six dams blocking fish passage and some held contaminated sediments in their impounded waters. One dam was removed in 2002 and two were equipped with new fishways.

That leaves three unsurpassable dams between the fish and their historic spawning grounds. The Plymco dam will come down next year, if adequate funding can be secured. The Off Billington Street dam, is slated for removal in the next few months. And, the final dam is being studied to determine the best solution for fish passage. Besides eliminating contaminated material from the streambed, benefiting the environment and restoring a piece of our history, this river restoration project is adding recreational trails along the now scenic and accessible brook.

Similarly, the Jones River Watershed Association is reconnecting an important river to the ocean in the town of Kingston. The Jones River is 7.5 miles long from its headwaters at Silver Lake to its mouth in Kingston Bay. There is a fish ladder at the lowest dam—the Elm Street dam—that allows some fish to continue upstream. Removal of the second impediment, the Wapping Road dam, in 2011 and restoration of the stream bank and floodplain expanded the habitat available to fish and transformed an unnaturally warm, sluggish and sediment-filled pond into a lovely stream with riffles, wildflowers and the musical sound of flowing water.

Watch the dam come down really fast in this speeded up video.

The final blockage is the Forge Pond dam at Silver Lake. Discussion with stakeholders on how to address the issue are underway.

A final example is that of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association (NSRWA). It is restoring Third Herring Brook in Hanover and Norwell. Four dams block fish passage to ten miles of mainstream and tributary habitat and 59 acres of pond habitat. The long process of planning and preparing for dam removal and river restoration is underway for two of the dams, one of which is located on the property of the South Shore YMCA.

This dam, the Mill Road dam, is in disrepair and was breached during a heavy rainstorm in 2010. It is dangerous and a big liability for the YMCA, and they are committed to its removal. However, the cost of removal, which is scheduled for 2014, is high and competes with the YMCA completing its primary mission. Many organizations are working together to fund various aspects of the project and the NSRWA’s involvement continues to be critical. With the completion of this project, a dangerous situation will be made safe, an area for nature discovery opened up for children, and historic spawning grounds for river herring reopened.

Our tour leader, Alison Bowden, Freshwater 
Program Director for The Nature Conservancy.

State Senator Marc Pacheco supports river restoration. He
spoke with pride at the Whittenton Dam removal site of how
Massachusetts leads the country in protecting the environment
and creating jobs at the same time.

 

For More Information

Massachusetts State Department of Ecological Restoration's report on the economic effects of ecological restoration, including dam removal:

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/der/publications/

Auditor's report on the cost of dam maintenance and dam safety issues:

http://www.mass.gov/auditor/docs/dlm-municipal/dlmdamsafetyreport.pdf

Journal paper by Alison Bowden of The Nature Conservancy on recovery of river herring:

http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/fst130?ijkey=Dh381woe2LvEAsd&keytype=ref

A series of stories on river herring and other baitfish from WCAI Public Radio:  

http://www.capeandislands.org/post/dwindling-baitfish-stocks-worry-fishermen-and-regulators