We’re committed to improving our ecosystems, quality of life, and communities for the better.
Our passion and commitment to the integration of innovative science and engineering drive us to exceed on behalf of every client.
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Created by the Rutgers University New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center with support from The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey, the guide compiles current research, case studies, best practices, practical tools, science-based strategies, and funding resources to "inform and empower readers to implement and seek funding for NBS." Click here to view and download the guide now. Inside the Guide As the guide states, "nature-based solutions (NBS) are defined as actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously benefiting people and nature." (IUCN 2024) Whether you're a municipal planner, community leader, contractor, public- or private-sector professional, or an academic, new to NBS or experienced in large-scale restoration projects, the guide offers value at every level with practical instruction that spans the full project lifecycle, from planning and permitting to funding and long-term monitoring. While the content is tailored to New Jersey's diverse landscapes, the guide's insights and approaches are broadly applicable to regions with similar ecosystems, from Massachusetts to Virginia. The guide equips readers with:
We're pleased to announce the release of the "New Jersey Nature-Based Solutions: Planning, Implementation, and Monitoring Reference Guide," a free resource that provides a comprehensive roadmap to incorporating nature-based solutions (NBS) into infrastructure, construction, restoration, and resilience projects across the state.
Created by the Rutgers University New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center with support from The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey, the guide compiles current research, case studies, best practices, practical tools, science-based strategies, and funding resources to "inform and empower readers to implement and seek funding for NBS."
Click here to view and download the guide now.
As the guide states, "nature-based solutions (NBS) are defined as actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously benefiting people and nature." (IUCN 2024)
Whether you're a municipal planner, community leader, contractor, public- or private-sector professional, or an academic, new to NBS or experienced in large-scale restoration projects, the guide offers value at every level with practical instruction that spans the full project lifecycle, from planning and permitting to funding and long-term monitoring. While the content is tailored to New Jersey's diverse landscapes, the guide's insights and approaches are broadly applicable to regions with similar ecosystems, from Massachusetts to Virginia.
The guide also includes insights on how to address equity considerations and foster meaningful community engagement, helping users implement NBS that are both impactful and inclusive.
Princeton Hydro was proud to contribute technical expertise to this important effort. Our Director of Restoration & Resilience, Christiana L. Pollack, CERP, CFM, GISP, participated on the guide's steering committee, and our team provided informational resources, including content and case studies on invasive species management, wetland and floodplain enhancement, and dam and culvert removal to restore rivers and improve fish passage. These contributions along with those from many other participants, reflect the collaborative nature of the guide and the collective commitment to advancing NBS across the state.
The guide's easy-to-follow format includes four key sections:
Whether you're just beginning to conceptualize a project or deep into project implementation, this guide is an invaluable addition to your toolbox. We encourage you to explore, download, and share it widely! Click here to access the guide now.
On the Paulins Kill, the 100-year old Columbia Lake Dam has almost been completely removed, and fish passage has been restored! Since the first cut was executed on the main dam in August, many exciting advances have been made towards restoring the Paulins Kill back to its natural state. Check out the video below, courtesy of the New Jersey Nature Conservancy Volunteer Drone Team.
Piece by piece, the dam was notched out throughout the fall season and is now completely removed with the exception of the dam apron, the horizontal concrete structure that sits downstream of the dam, and the section of the dam that sits below the riverbed. The part of the dam in the riverbed is now being removed all the way down to three feet under the ground. The full removal is estimated to be complete by mid-March. In mid-August, the first cut was widened to 80 feet, allowing for better management of high flows during storm events, which had been posing a challenge immediately following the first cut.
In late August, the installation of rock vanes at the Brugler Road Bridge began. Rock vanes are engineered, in-stream structures that help to stabilize a channel while enhancing aquatic habitat and movement.
The rock vanes installed at the Brugler Road Bridge site are cross vanes. Cross vanes consist of a set of boulders angled upstream on a river, with another section of smaller rocks placed upstream. The taller sections of the cross vanes deflect the streamflow away from the banks, decreasing scouring effects. Instead, the flow travels over the rock walls and concentrates down the center of the channel, creating a deep and elongated pool in the middle of the stream.
Velocities between the notches in the rock vanes were evaluated using a velocity meter in accordance with the design specifications originally proposed. Based on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fish passage design criteria, velocities in the notches could not be greater than 8.25 feet per second. All of the velocity measurements in this rock vane were below the maximum thresholds, ensuring no blockage of fish passage is made through the vanes.
Since the removal of the dam began, vegetative growth from the natural seedbed of the upper impoundment has been observed (see photo below).
In October, scour protection installation commenced at the Warrington Road Bridge site. After the team conducted geotechnical test pits, they discovered that a concrete scour wall that slopes out to the Paulins Kill was present and deep enough to be able to install rock at the necessary depth. They also found that the existing gabions, caged baskets filled with rock or concrete often used to protect against erosion, were intact and could be left in place. The team installed four (4) feet of riprap under and around the bridge in the riverbed and tied it into the existing grade of the banks.
The original notch in the dam was lowered one foot per day starting in mid-December, reducing water surface elevations down to the apron elevation during the month of January.
To accommodate NJ Fish and Wildlife’s request for animal passage under the I-80 bridges, an area of the previously installed riprap on the northwest abutment wall was flattened out and filled in with river cobble. This path will promote wildlife movement under the bridge as opposed to through the existing tunnel.
Currently, rock vanes are being installed under the I-80 bridges specifically to enhance fish passage. These structures vary slightly from the rock vanes at the Brugler Road Bridge site, as they are designed to slow river flow, helping migrating fish travel upstream and traverse a 5-foot elevation difference in the streambed, much like a fish ladder.
These rock vanes are more than halfway completed and are on track to be finished in time for fish populations to make full use of them. The next steps are to finish the demolition of the dam and the construction of the fish passage rock vanes under the I-80 bridges, plant vegetation throughout the upper impoundment, create a recreational trail through the upper impoundment, and plan for fishing and boating access! Stay tuned for more exciting developments on this incredible project.
Thank you to our project partners: The Nature Conservancy, American Rivers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife Service.
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Princeton Hydro has designed, permitted, and overseen the reconstruction, repair, and removal of a dozens of small and large dams in the Northeast. To learn more about our fish passage and dam removal engineering services, visit: bit.ly/DamBarrier.
As one of the Chesapeake Bay’s most productive tributaries and a vital part of Maryland's natural resources, Mattawoman Creek supports some of the largest populations of finfish, amphibians, and birds in the state. A collaborative team of private and public sector entities have designed the "Mattawoman Creek Mitigation Site" in Pomfret, Charles County, Maryland, an effort that will enhance or create 64+ acres of wetlands and restore nearly 3,800 linear feet of this perennial stream. With over 28,500 native trees and shrubs to be planted, this mitigation project will result in 80+ acres of continuous, forested wetland with complex and diverse vegetative communities. It is expected to provide a wide array of habitat to resident and transient wildlife, including birds, reptiles, invertebrates, amphibians and rare, threatened and endangered species.
Unique to this project, Mattawoman Creek Mitigation Site is Maryland’s first-ever Umbrella Mitigation Banking Instrument (UMBI) for federal and other government agency use. A UMBI is the bundling of multiple mitigation banks into one agreement in order to streamline the regulatory approval process, thereby eliminating steps and involving fewer resources. The Maryland UMBI document helps the USAF and other public agencies secure certainty of cost and schedule, facilitate timely permit issuance, and expedite the satisfaction of their permitted requirements for planned capital improvement projects. This approach also maximizes the scale of restoration and resulting land protection and efforts, creating contiguous blocks of habitat with greatly enhanced benefits compared to single, permittee-responsible projects. This precedent was a result of a partnership between United States Air Force (USAF) and Joint Base Andrews (JBA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), GreenTrust Alliance, GreenVest, and Princeton Hydro.
Projects completed under the UMBI will reduce federal and state workload expediting the regulatory review and issuance of permits by the MDE and USACE. Additionally, projects completed under this UMBI will aid in compliance with the Federal Paperwork Reduction Act where federal regulatory staff can evaluate success and performance issues for multiple permittees at one single habitat restoration or mitigation site. In addition, federal costs are capped, and liabilities are transferred through to GreenVest, the private sector operator, and GreenTrust Alliance, the nonprofit bank sponsor, who will also serve as the long-term steward of sites restored under this program.
Design, engineering/modeling, and permitting of the site was completed by Princeton Hydro and GreenVest under our currently Ecosystem Restoration contract with the USACE. Princeton Hydro also provided an Environmental Assessment and Environmental Baseline Survey, and conducted a geotechnical investigation, which included the advancement of test pits, visual and manual investigation techniques and logging, infiltration testing, laboratory soils testing, and seasonal high-water table estimations.
A wetland water budget was also developed for the proposed wetland creation and restoration to determine if sufficient water is available to establish or reestablish wetlands on the site. It was also used to inform design development including proposed grading and plant community composition. The establishment and re-establishment of wetlands on the site will be accomplished through directed grading, ditch plugging and stream restoration designed to maximize the retention of surface water, floodplain re-connection, and groundwater inputs.
Over 6,000 acres (25%) of the Mattawoman Creek watershed has been protected by public ownership and various conservation and agricultural easements, which, in addition to the Mattawoman Creek Mitigation Site, help ensure that Mattawoman Creek forever remains a high-quality destination for outdoor recreation.
Princeton Hydro specializes in the planning, design, permitting, implementing, and maintenance of tidal and freshwater wetland rehabilitation projects. To learn more about our wetland restoration, creation, and enhancement services, visit: http://bit.ly/PHwetland
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The Pin Oak Forest Conservation Area is a 97-acre tract of open space that contains an extremely valuable wetland complex at the headwaters of Woodbridge Creek. The site is located in a heavily developed landscape of northern Middlesex County and is surrounded by industrial, commercial, and residential development. As such, the area suffered from wetland and stream channel degradation, habitat fragmentation, decreased biodiversity due to invasive species, and ecological impairment. The site was viewed as one of only a few large-scale freshwater wetland restoration opportunities remaining in this highly developed region of New Jersey.
Recognizing the unique qualities and great potential for rehabilitating and enhancing ecological function on this county-owned parkland, a dynamic partnership between government agencies, NGOs, and private industry, was formed to restore the natural function of the wetlands complex, transform the Pin Oak Forest site into thriving habitat teeming with wildlife, and steward this property back to life. The team designed a restoration plan that converted 28.94 acres of degraded freshwater wetlands, 0.33 acres of disturbed uplands dominated by invasive species, and 1,018 linear feet of degraded or channelized streams into a species-rich and highly functional headwater wetland complex.
We used an innovative approach to restore the hydraulic connection of the stream channel with its floodplain in order to support wetland enhancement. Additionally, to further enhance wetlands with hydrologic uplift, the team incorporated microtopography techniques, which creates a variable surface that increases groundwater infiltration and niches that support multiple habitat communities. This resulted in a spectrum of wetland and stream habitats, including the establishment of a functional system of floodplain forest, scrub shrub, emergent wetlands and open water. Biodiversity was also increased through invasive species management, which opened the door for establishing key native flora such as red maple, pin oak, swamp white oak, and swamp rose. The restored headwater wetland system also provides stormwater quality management, floodplain storage, enhanced groundwater recharge onsite, and surface water flows to Woodbridge Creek.
Completed in 2017, the integrated complex of various wetland and upland communities continues to provide high quality habitat for a wide variety of wildlife species including the state-threatened Black-crowned Night heron and Red-headed Woodpecker. The work done at the site significantly enhanced ecological function, providing high-quality habitat on indefinitely-preserved public lands that offer countless benefits to both wildlife and the community.
Public and private partnerships were and continue to be critical to the success of this project. The diverse partnership includes Middlesex County Office of Parks and Recreation, Woodbridge Township, Woodbridge River Watch, New Jersey Freshwater Wetlands Mitigation Council, GreenTrust Alliance, GreenVest, and Princeton Hydro. The partners joined together as stakeholders to identify long term restoration and stewardship goals for Pin Oak Forest Preserve, and nearly four years later, the partners all remain involved in various aspects of managing the property and this project itself, ranging from fiscal oversight by New Jersey Freshwater Wetland Mitigation Council and GreenTrust Alliance, to permit and landowner access coordination performed by Woodbridge Township and Middlesex County, or the ongoing stewardship, maintenance, and monitoring of the project and the larger park, being conducted by being conducted by GreenTrust Alliance, GreenVest, and NJ Department of Environmental Protection.
This project was funded through the New Jersey Freshwater Wetland In-Lieu Fee program. In 2014, GreenTrust Alliance, GreenVest, and Princeton Hydro secured $3.8 million dollars of funding on behalf of the Middlesex County Parks Department to restore three wetland sites, which included Pin Oak Forest.
The Pin Oak Forest project is a great model for showcasing a successful approach to the enhancement of public lands through a dynamic multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder partnership. And, because of proper planning and design, it has become a thriving wildlife oasis tucked in the middle of a densely-populated suburban landscape.
Princeton Hydro specializes in the planning, design, permitting, implementing, and maintenance of wetland rehabilitation projects. To learn about another wetland restoration, creation, and enhancement project, click here.
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the Musconetcong Watershed Association (MWA) is hosting the “Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour”. The festival is free and open to the public, but seating is limited so, registration is required. The festival will be held on Sunday, September 9th from 10 am to 2 pm at Centenary University in Hackettstown, NJ.
To bring communities together around local and global environmental issues, The "Wild & Scenic Film Festival" goes "on-tour" partnering with nonprofit organizations and local groups to screen films year-round with hopes of inspiring individuals to take environmental action. The tour stops in 170 communities around the globe, features over 150 award-winning films, and welcomes over 100 guest speakers, celebrities, and activists who bring a human face to the environmental movement.
The Hackettstown, NJ tour event will feature 11 short films including River Connections, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, under which the Musconetcong River is protected. The film explores the importance of free-flowing rivers and highlights the recent Hughesville Dam removal project. An interactive panel event will follow the film screening and feature experts including MWA Executive Director Alan Hunt, Ph.D. and Princeton Hydro President Geoffrey Goll, P.E., who were both interviewed in the film.
"Our multidisciplinary approach to dam removal using ecology and engineering, paired with a dynamic stakeholder partnership, led to a successful river restoration, where native fish populations returned within a year," said Princeton Hydro's President Geoffrey Goll, P.E. "We are grateful for MWA's hard work in organizing this film festival so we can continue to share our dam removal success stories and the importance of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act."
Princeton Hydro, a proud sponsor of the "Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour," has worked with MWA to design five dam removals on the Musconetcong River, including the Hughesville Dam. As noted in the River Connections film, the Hughesville Dam was a major milestone in restoring migratory fish passage along the Musconetcong. Only a year after the completion of the dam removal, American shad were documented as having returned to the "Musky" for the first time in 250 years.
The tour leads up to the annual 5-day film festival, which will be held January 17-21, 2019 in Nevada City and Grass Valley, California. Sponsored by National Park Service, the Wild & Scenic Film Festival honors the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, landmark legislation passed by Congress in October 1968 that safeguards the free-flowing character of rivers by precluding them from being dammed, while allowing the public to enjoy them. It encourages river management and promotes public participation in protecting streams.
Freshwater mussels are among the oldest living and second most diverse organisms on Earth with over 1,000 recognized species. Here in the eastern part of the U.S., we have more species of freshwater mussels than anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, freshwater mussels are one of the most rapidly declining animal groups in North America. Out of the 300 species and subspecies found on the continent, 70 (23%) have been federally listed as "Threatened" or "Endangered" under the Endangered Species Act. And, in the last century, over 30 species have become permanently extinct. So, why are populations declining so fast?
Freshwater mussels are filter feeders and process large volumes of the water they live in to obtain food. This means of survival also makes them highly susceptible to industrial and agricultural water pollution. Because they are constantly filtering water, the contaminants and pathogens that are present are absorbed into the mussel’s tissues. As such, mussels are good indicators of water quality and can greatly contribute to improving water quality by filtering algae, bacteria and organic matter from the water column.
Not only do freshwater mussels rely on water quality, they are dependent on fish and other aquatic organisms for reproductive success. In order for a freshwater mussel to complete the reproduction process, it must “infect” a host fish with its larvae. The method depends on the specie of mussel. Some species lure fish using highly modified and evolved appendages that mimic prey. When a fish goes into investigate the lures, the female mussel releases fertilized eggs that attach to the fish, becoming temporarily parasitic. Once the host fish is infected, it can transfer the mussel larvae upstream and into new areas of the river.
Both habitat loss from dam construction and the introduction of pesticides into the water supply has contributed to the decline of freshwater mussels. With approximately 300 mussel species in the U.S. alone, a critical component of restoring and revitalizing mussel populations is truly understanding their biology, which begins with the ability to properly differentiate each species and properly identify and catalog them. Princeton Hydro’s Senior Scientist Evan Kwityn, CLP and Aquatic Ecologist Jesse Smith recently completed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Fresh Water Mussel Identification Training at the National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia.
Through hands-on laboratory training, Evan and Jesse developed their freshwater mussel identification skills and their knowledge of freshwater mussel species biology. Course participants were tasked with mastering approximately 100 of the most common freshwater mussel species in the United States. They also learned about proper freshwater mussel collection labeling, the internal and external anatomy and meristics of a freshwater mussel, and distributional maps as an aid to freshwater mussel identification.
In a recently published press release, Tierra Curry, a senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity was quoted as saying, “The health of freshwater mussels directly reflects river health, so protecting the places where these mussels live will help all of us who rely on clean water. This is especially important now, when we see growing threats to clean water from climate change, agriculture and other sources.”
Princeton Hydro is committed to protecting water quality, restoring habitats, and managing natural resources. Read about some of our recent projects and contact us to discuss how we can help you.
To learn more about freshwater mussels, check out this video from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:
VIDEO: "Columbia Lake Dam when the water level was 18 inches to 2 feet lower" Video courtesy of Matt Hencheck
The Moosup River is a beautiful 30-mile-long, trout river flowing through Connecticut and Rhode Island, eventually emptying into the Quinebaug River.
Several dams, most originally built in the 1800s or early 1900s, impeded the river’s natural flow, impaired habitat, fragmented the river system, and prevented fish from swimming upstream to their native spawning grounds.
In 2013, American Rivers, CTDEEP Fisheries, and Natural Resources Conservation Service began collaborating on the removal of multiple dams and remnant dams as part of a larger project to restore connectivity to the Moosup River in the Town of Plainfield. Princeton Hydro and RiverLogic Solutions were contracted to provide design-build and permitting services.
As part of this larger multi-year effort, five dams are planned for removal from the Moosup River. The most downstream barrier, the Hale Factory Dam was removed in 2014. The remnants of the toppled Griswold Rubber Dam were removed in 2015. In 2017, the removal of Brunswick Mill Dam #1 was completed. And, two more dams, downstream of New Brunswick Mill Dam #1, are currently under consideration for removal. When fully completed, the Moosup River Dam Removal Project will reconnect fish habitats along 6.9 miles of the Moosup River.
The Hale Factory Dam was constructed of a boulder core capped in a one-foot-thick concrete layer. The dam was partially breached as the concrete cap had deteriorated severely over the years, allowing flow to pass between boulders and allowing the normal pool elevation to drop substantially from its former design height.
The resource delineation conducted on site identified a vernal pool with an 18 inch culvert outlet that discharged 90 feet upstream of the dam. To preserve this ecological resource on the site, the vernal pool was not disturbed during the dam removal.
Princeton Hydro provided a field assessment, sediment characterization and analysis, final design and permit application package for the full removal of the Hale Factory Dam. Full removal of the dam entailed demolition and removal of the concrete, and re-use of the natural cobbles and boulders from the dam to create in-stream habitat features. Once completed, the river and its boulders appeared as if placed by nature itself, with the former dam’s presence indicated only by the age-old lichen covered field stone walls leading up to the banks.
The Griswold Rubber Dam was in a gravel-cobble reach of the river approximately 80 feet wide in the Village of Moosup and was adjacent to the 1992 expansion of the Griswold Rubber factory. At one time, the dam stood approximately 10 feet high and 150 feet long. The dam was constructed of a large segmented concrete slab that had since toppled over and was lying nearly flat on the river bed in multiple sections. The dam structure, having failed, served no useful purpose. Despite being toppled, the dam still presented a deterrent to the effective movement of aquatic organisms at normal to low flows and was therefore worthy of complete removal to restore river connectivity.
Princeton Hydro conducted an initial field investigation with RiverLogic Solutions to gain insights regarding the construction approach. Princeton Hydro then followed-up with a more detailed assessment of river bed sediment, geomorphic conditions, the likely riverine response, construction access, and other design related issues that were incorporated into design plans and permit applications. The restoration design Princeton Hydro developed aimed to remove the partial barrier to fish passage with as little disturbance to surrounding infrastructure and resources as possible.
This dilapidated timber crib dam stood approximately 4-feet high and spanned the channel at approximately 130 feet. The timbers ranged from 1.5 to 2.5 feet in diameter and over 20 feet in length; 50 were integrated into the dam. The timber crib was filled with gravel and other debris, and the gravel substrate extended 50 feet upstream. The original dam was significantly higher, but the timber crib spillway deteriorated and gradually collapsed over time and only a portion of the structure remained.
For this project, Princeton Hydro completed sediment investigation, sampling and analysis; hydrologic and hydraulic analysis; and provided design and engineering for full removal of the dam. Princeton Hydro contracted with an archeologist / industrial historian, and together closely observed the dam deconstruction to observe and record how the timber crib had been assembled. Multiple types of iron pins and wooden pegs revealed how the dam had been repaired over the years – findings, old maps, and photos were incorporated into a historical report filed with the state historic preservation office. Princeton Hydro coordinated to have the old timbers salvaged for eventual re-use. Removing the Brunswick Mill Dam #1 was a continuation of the large scale Moosup River restoration effort and paved the way for the potential removal of two more dams downstream in the coming years.
"When a dam is breached and taken out, the tangible results are very quickly noticeable," said Paul Woodworth, Princeton Hydro Fluvial Geomorphologist. “The return of migratory fish is a very strong indicator of the ecological benefits of dam removal - sometimes after a removal you can see fish immediately swimming upstream. Removing dams also improves safety in nearby communities, reestablishes the natural flow of sediment, improves water quality, provides new recreation opportunities, and restores habitats for fish and wildlife.”
Click here to read more about Princeton Hydro’s engineering services for the restoration and removal of dams.
For thousands of years, river herring swam from the Atlantic Ocean through the Long Island Sound and up the Noroton River to spawn each spring. Then, they returned to the ocean until the next spawning season.
Back in the 1920s, President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s administration began connecting the country through a massive interstate highway system. As part of the infrastructure plan, hundreds of thousands of culverts were built across the U.S. with the intention of moving water quickly and efficiently. While that goal was met, many migratory fish and other aquatic organisms could not overcome the culverts’ high-velocity flows, shallow water depths, and perched outlets. This infrastructure prevented them from reaching their native migratory destinations.
By the late 1950s, Interstate 95 cut through Connecticut’s coastal rivers, and culverts were installed to convey river flows. Alewives, American Shad, Blueback Herring, and other native fish species were unable to navigate the culverts. Their populations dwindled to the point where Connecticut, along with Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and North Carolina, instituted moratoriums on catching and keeping the valued forage fish.
Along the Noroton River, three parallel concrete culverts, each 300-feet long, 13-feet wide and 7-feet in height were installed, completely blocking upstream fish passage. In order to restore important fish populations and revitalize the Noroton River, Save the Sound launched a project that reopened approximately seven miles of the river, allowing migratory fish populations to safely and easily travel through the culverts to reach their original spawning habitat upstream.
The project is a collaboration among Save the Sound, Darien Land Trust, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP), Connecticut Department of Transportation, Princeton Hydro, and other partners. For the project, Princeton Hydro lead design engineering and guided the construction of the following elements to restore upstream fish passage:
Reopening river passage for migratory species will improve not only the health of the Noroton River itself, but will also benefit the overall ecosystem of Long Island Sound. Over the last decade, fish passage projects around the sound’s Connecticut and New York shores have dramatically increased freshwater spawning habitat for the foundational species whose return is restoring a more vibrant food web to the Long Island Sound.
Construction of the baffles and rock ramp were completed in time for the 2018 migratory season. Construction of the concrete weir is on temporary hold for low-flow conditions. On April 26, 2018, project partners gathered for a project celebration and the release of migratory fish by CTDEEP at an upstream location.
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