Two MA dam removal projects are awarded funding from NOAA

Two projects in Massachusetts have been awarded 2017 Community-based Restoration Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants through the NOAA Habitat Conservation office.

The full list of projects can be viewed on the NOAA Habitat Conservation website at: http://www.habitat.noaa.gov/highlights/4andahalfmillionrestorationprojects.html

Northeast
Holmes Dam Removal ($1,500,000): This project, in partnership with the Town of Plymouth, Massachusetts, will remove a 16-foot high, 275-foot-long high-hazard dam and a bridge in poor condition. This will open access for river herring to spawning habitat, leading to a predicted increase in the fish run of 200,000 additional fish. The removal will also protect surrounding infrastructure and will reduce flood vulnerability during extreme weather events by increasing floodplain storage volume.

Monatiquot River Restoration Project ($100,000): This project, in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, will complete engineering and design for the removal of the Armstrong and Ames Pond Dams on the Monatiquot River. Removal of these dams will restore unimpeded access to 36 miles of river corridor for river herring and American eel. Dam removal will also eliminate any risk of dam failure and potential damage to surrounding infrastructure.

Restoring Passage for Alewife and Atlantic Salmon in the Upper Narraguagus River Watershed ($154,000): This project, in partnership with Project SHARE, will replace six culverts in the upper Narraguagus River watershed in coastal Maine, where restoring access to cold-water tributaries is a top priority for recovery of Endangered Species Act-listed Atlantic salmon. This project will restore fish passage to approximately 18 stream miles and improve access to nearly 300 acres of important spawning and rearing habitat for Atlantic salmon, alewife and American eel.