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On Long Island in Nassau, New York, they migrate between Mill Pond Creek and the ocean, using Bellmore Creek as a highway. The river herring live much of their adult life in the ocean and travel to the freshwaters of Mill Pond Creek in order to spawn. There is a dam located at the point where Bellmore Creek meets Mill Pond. When the water level isn’t high enough, the river herring can be blocked from swimming upstream to reach their spawning habitat. This not only has negative implications for river herring species, it also negatively impacts the entire ecosystem. The herring are a vital food source for countless other fish, birds and animals, and play a critical role in transferring marine derived nutrients into surrounding estuarine, freshwater and upland habitats. River Herring have been documented at the base of the dam at Mill Pond for the past several migration seasons. Bellmore Creek is one of only two-dozen streams on Long Island where remnant runs of this ecologically valuable, diadromous fish still exist. In 2018, Seatuck Environmental Association, a nonprofit dedicated to wildlife conservation on Long Island, was awarded the NYSDEC Division of Marine Resources Grant for Tributary Restoration and Resiliency to design a fish passage at the dam intersecting Mill Pond and Bellmore Creek. Seatuck contracted Princeton Hydro to design the fish passage options. The project goals not only include increasing river herring spawning habitat, but also are focused on improving the ecological condition of Bellmore Creek, maintaining and enhancing recreational values, and improving site resiliency to climate change and sea level rise. To provide guidance on the project, Seatuck assembled an advisory committee with representation from Nassau County (dam owner), New York State Office of Parks, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Nassau County Soil and Water District, Town of Hempstead, the South Shore Estuary Reserve, Trout Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, South Shore Audubon, and the Bellmore Civic Association. Princeton Hydro conducted a study to understand the feasibility of enhancing fish passage to Mill Pond. The initial site investigation, in November 2020, included sediment probing and sampling, and a thorough assessment of the existing dam, spillway, water pipes, bridges and upper reaches. [gallery ids="10580,10579,10581"] Based on its findings, the Princeton Hydro team developed three design options to restore fish passage: A nature-like fishway, where a channel made of boulders and concrete is constructed through the dam to mimic a natural, steep stream; A technical fishway, where a pre-fabricated metal fish ladder is placed within the spillway to allow fish to swim up and into the pond; and A full or partial dam removal, where the spillway is fully or partially removed and the pond is restored to a free-flowing stream and wetland complex. On June 8 2021, Seatuck, Nassau County and Princeton Hydro held a virtual meeting to get the public’s input on each of the fish passage designs. Emily Hall, Conservation Policy Advocate for Seatuck, also put together an informative presentation in which she provides a synopsis of Bellmore Creek's history, describes the project goals, and discusses the community engagement process and the results of the public opinion survey. Watch it now: [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvdWsI_3MIU[/embed] Additionally, Princeton Hydro completed a site investigation including topographic survey, sediment probing and sampling, and assessment of structures to identify project opportunities and site constraints. Sediment sampling and analysis indicated no major concerns with contamination. By performing analysis of the longitudinal profile, Princeton Hydro determined that the full dam removal (option 3 listed above) was not recommended due to the potential for initiating uncontrolled channel incision below the original river grade into Mill Pond and upstream reaches. Ultimately, the technical fish ladder (option 2 listed above) was chosen as the most appropriate solution for restoring fish passage to Mill Pond and maintaining existing recreational values. Princeton Hydro is currently developing preliminary engineering design plans for this selected alternative as part of this phase of the project. The focus on Bellmore Creek is just one of many projects included in Seatuck’s River Revival program, which has sought to clear similarly blocked waterways across Long Island. If you’re interested in learning more about Seatuck’s conservation work and getting involved, click here. Princeton Hydro has designed, permitted, and overseen solutions for fish passage including the installation of technical and nature-like fishways and the removal of dozens of small and large dams throughout the Northeast. To learn more about our fish passage and dam removal engineering services, click here and check out our blog: Conservation Spotlight: Restoring Fish Passage on the Noroton River. [post_title] => Bellmore Creek Fish Passage Project: Restoring Access to Critical Spawning Habitat [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => bellmore-creek-fish-passage [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2025-11-04 02:54:39 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-11-04 02:54:39 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://princetonhydro.com/?p=10534 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2638 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2018-10-05 13:57:48 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-10-05 13:57:48 [post_content] => Throughout October, Princeton Hydro is proud to participate in a number of conferences and events on topics ranging from floodplain management to ecological restoration to dam removal: October 10: Society for American Military Engineers (SAME) MEGA Maryland Small Business Conference The conference, being held in Baltimore, gives small and minority businesses in the architecture, engineering and construction industries the opportunity to come together with federal agencies in order to showcase best practices and highlight future opportunities to work in the federal market. The program consists of networking events, a variety of speakers and small business exhibits. Be sure to stop by the Princeton Hydro booth to say hello to President Geoffrey Goll, P.E. and Communications Strategist Dana Patterson. LEARN MORE October 11: Great Swamp Gala & Silent Auction The Great Swamp Watershed Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and improving the water resources of the Passaic River region, is hosting its 2018 Gala & Silent Auction. This year's event is being, held in honor of former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean, for his environmental leadership during his administration for enacting landmark protections for New Jersey’s shoreline and freshwater wetlands. present and future generations. The evening will include a cocktail hour, dinner banquet, expansive silent auction, and remarks delivered by Governor Kean. Princeton Hydro is proud to be a Benefactor of the event and looking forward to attending. LEARN MORE & REGISTER October 11 - 13: Atlantic Estuarine Research Society (AERS) Fall Meeting The theme of this year's AERS Fall Meeting is "The power of framing your message: It's not what you say, it's how you say it!" Participants will gather at Stockton University to hear a variety of ignite-style presentations about misconceptions that typically surround scientific work, how to address them, and how to re-frame your message to be better understood by the general public and other non-scientists and increase stakeholder involvement. Princeton Hydro's Senior Aquatics Scientist Jack Szczepanski, PhD will be attending the conference; chat with him to learn more about our pond and lake services. LEARN MORE October 11 - 13: Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) New England 2018 Regional Conference This year's SER New England conference brings together stewards, researchers, students, regulators, community activists and practitioners to explore innovative ecological restoration techniques and projects that connect communities within and across ecosystems. The conference includes a variety of plenary talks, field trips, workshops and a keynote address, which will be given by Stewart Diemont of SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The keynote, titled "Learning from the People and the Land: Traditional Ecological Knowledge Toward Restoration of Ecosystems and of our Connection with Nature," is free and open to the public. Members of the Princeton Hydro are attending the conference and leading two sessions: Laura Wildman, Water Resources and Fisheries Engineer, is leading a workshop about implementing dam removal to restore rivers. Paul Woodworth, Fluvial Geomorphologist, is presenting on the post-dam removal monitoring of active and passive restoration approaches utilizing the Hyde Pond Dam removal as a tangible example. LEARN MORE October 11: Hudson-Delaware Chapter of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (HDC-SETAC) 2018 Fall Workshop HDC-SETAC is a professional society for scientists, engineers and related disciplines concerned with environmental science and health throughout the Hudson River and Delaware River metropolitan area. The 2018 Fall Workshop, being held at Villanova University, aims to enhance participants’ knowledge of “Harmful Algal Blooms and other Emerging Contaminants.” Princeton Hydro’s Director of Aquatic Programs Dr. Fred Lubnow is giving a presentation on “The Monitoring and Management of Cyanotoxins in Raw Water Supplies.” We hope to see you there! LEARN MORE October 12: Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) 2018 Environmental Congress ANJEC, a nonprofit organization supporting efforts to protect the environment and preserve natural resources in communities throughout New Jersey, is hosting its 45th Annual Environmental Congress at Mercer County College. The Environmental Congress is an annual statewide gathering of environmental commissions, local officials, agencies, citizen groups and environmental organizations, which includes an exhibitors hall, farmer's market, and workshops on a variety of current environmental topics. Princeton Hydro, a business member of the ANJEC, will be exhibiting during the event. Stop by the booth to say hello to Dr. Stephen J. Souza, Princeton Hydro Founder and ANJEC Board of Trustees member, and Dana Patterson, Communications Strategist for Princeton Hydro. LEARN MORE October 23 - 25: New Jersey Association for Floodplain Management (NJAFM) 14th Annual Conference NJAFM is hosting its 14th Annual Conference and Exhibition in Atlantic City, NJ. Participants will attend meetings and seminars covering topics, including hazard mitigation, flood insurance, infrastructure, mapping, planning, flood modeling, regulations, floodproofing, stormwater management, flood proofing, construction standards and more. Princeton Hydro's Christiana Pollack, GISP, CFM and NJDEP's Jessica Jahre, PP, AICP, CFM are giving a presentation, titled "A Flood Assessment for the Future," for which they'll showcase a flood assessment and flood mitigation analysis that Princeton Hydro performed in the Lower Moodna Creek Watershed. LEARN MORE & REGISTER October 23: "Undamming the Hudson River" Film Screening and Panel Event, Free & Open the Public Riverkeeper and Patagonia present the premiere of "Undamming the Hudson River," a short documentary film by National Geographic filmmaker Jon Bowermaster showcasing Riverkeeper’s efforts to restore natural habitat by eliminating obsolete dams throughout the Hudson River Estuary. The screening will be followed by refreshments and a panel discussion, moderated by Bowermaster, featuring experts in the field and an audience Q&A. Panelists, include:
River herring are diadromous fish, which means they migrate between fresh and salt water. On Long Island in Nassau, New York, they migrate between Mill Pond Creek and the ocean, using Bellmore Creek as a highway. The river herring live much of their adult life in the ocean and travel to the freshwaters of Mill Pond Creek in order to spawn.
There is a dam located at the point where Bellmore Creek meets Mill Pond. When the water level isn’t high enough, the river herring can be blocked from swimming upstream to reach their spawning habitat. This not only has negative implications for river herring species, it also negatively impacts the entire ecosystem. The herring are a vital food source for countless other fish, birds and animals, and play a critical role in transferring marine derived nutrients into surrounding estuarine, freshwater and upland habitats.
River Herring have been documented at the base of the dam at Mill Pond for the past several migration seasons. Bellmore Creek is one of only two-dozen streams on Long Island where remnant runs of this ecologically valuable, diadromous fish still exist.
The project goals not only include increasing river herring spawning habitat, but also are focused on improving the ecological condition of Bellmore Creek, maintaining and enhancing recreational values, and improving site resiliency to climate change and sea level rise.
To provide guidance on the project, Seatuck assembled an advisory committee with representation from Nassau County (dam owner), New York State Office of Parks, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Nassau County Soil and Water District, Town of Hempstead, the South Shore Estuary Reserve, Trout Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, South Shore Audubon, and the Bellmore Civic Association.
On June 8 2021, Seatuck, Nassau County and Princeton Hydro held a virtual meeting to get the public’s input on each of the fish passage designs. Emily Hall, Conservation Policy Advocate for Seatuck, also put together an informative presentation in which she provides a synopsis of Bellmore Creek's history, describes the project goals, and discusses the community engagement process and the results of the public opinion survey. Watch it now:
Additionally, Princeton Hydro completed a site investigation including topographic survey, sediment probing and sampling, and assessment of structures to identify project opportunities and site constraints. Sediment sampling and analysis indicated no major concerns with contamination. By performing analysis of the longitudinal profile, Princeton Hydro determined that the full dam removal (option 3 listed above) was not recommended due to the potential for initiating uncontrolled channel incision below the original river grade into Mill Pond and upstream reaches.
Ultimately, the technical fish ladder (option 2 listed above) was chosen as the most appropriate solution for restoring fish passage to Mill Pond and maintaining existing recreational values. Princeton Hydro is currently developing preliminary engineering design plans for this selected alternative as part of this phase of the project.
The focus on Bellmore Creek is just one of many projects included in Seatuck’s River Revival program, which has sought to clear similarly blocked waterways across Long Island. If you’re interested in learning more about Seatuck’s conservation work and getting involved, click here.
Princeton Hydro has designed, permitted, and overseen solutions for fish passage including the installation of technical and nature-like fishways and the removal of dozens of small and large dams throughout the Northeast. To learn more about our fish passage and dam removal engineering services, click here and check out our blog: Conservation Spotlight: Restoring Fish Passage on the Noroton River.
Throughout October, Princeton Hydro is proud to participate in a number of conferences and events on topics ranging from floodplain management to ecological restoration to dam removal:
The conference, being held in Baltimore, gives small and minority businesses in the architecture, engineering and construction industries the opportunity to come together with federal agencies in order to showcase best practices and highlight future opportunities to work in the federal market. The program consists of networking events, a variety of speakers and small business exhibits. Be sure to stop by the Princeton Hydro booth to say hello to President Geoffrey Goll, P.E. and Communications Strategist Dana Patterson.
The Great Swamp Watershed Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and improving the water resources of the Passaic River region, is hosting its 2018 Gala & Silent Auction. This year's event is being, held in honor of former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean, for his environmental leadership during his administration for enacting landmark protections for New Jersey’s shoreline and freshwater wetlands. present and future generations. The evening will include a cocktail hour, dinner banquet, expansive silent auction, and remarks delivered by Governor Kean. Princeton Hydro is proud to be a Benefactor of the event and looking forward to attending.
The theme of this year's AERS Fall Meeting is "The power of framing your message: It's not what you say, it's how you say it!" Participants will gather at Stockton University to hear a variety of ignite-style presentations about misconceptions that typically surround scientific work, how to address them, and how to re-frame your message to be better understood by the general public and other non-scientists and increase stakeholder involvement. Princeton Hydro's Senior Aquatics Scientist Jack Szczepanski, PhD will be attending the conference; chat with him to learn more about our pond and lake services.
This year's SER New England conference brings together stewards, researchers, students, regulators, community activists and practitioners to explore innovative ecological restoration techniques and projects that connect communities within and across ecosystems. The conference includes a variety of plenary talks, field trips, workshops and a keynote address, which will be given by Stewart Diemont of SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The keynote, titled "Learning from the People and the Land: Traditional Ecological Knowledge Toward Restoration of Ecosystems and of our Connection with Nature," is free and open to the public.
Members of the Princeton Hydro are attending the conference and leading two sessions: Laura Wildman, Water Resources and Fisheries Engineer, is leading a workshop about implementing dam removal to restore rivers. Paul Woodworth, Fluvial Geomorphologist, is presenting on the post-dam removal monitoring of active and passive restoration approaches utilizing the Hyde Pond Dam removal as a tangible example.
HDC-SETAC is a professional society for scientists, engineers and related disciplines concerned with environmental science and health throughout the Hudson River and Delaware River metropolitan area. The 2018 Fall Workshop, being held at Villanova University, aims to enhance participants’ knowledge of “Harmful Algal Blooms and other Emerging Contaminants.” Princeton Hydro’s Director of Aquatic Programs Dr. Fred Lubnow is giving a presentation on “The Monitoring and Management of Cyanotoxins in Raw Water Supplies.” We hope to see you there!
ANJEC, a nonprofit organization supporting efforts to protect the environment and preserve natural resources in communities throughout New Jersey, is hosting its 45th Annual Environmental Congress at Mercer County College. The Environmental Congress is an annual statewide gathering of environmental commissions, local officials, agencies, citizen groups and environmental organizations, which includes an exhibitors hall, farmer's market, and workshops on a variety of current environmental topics. Princeton Hydro, a business member of the ANJEC, will be exhibiting during the event. Stop by the booth to say hello to Dr. Stephen J. Souza, Princeton Hydro Founder and ANJEC Board of Trustees member, and Dana Patterson, Communications Strategist for Princeton Hydro.
NJAFM is hosting its 14th Annual Conference and Exhibition in Atlantic City, NJ. Participants will attend meetings and seminars covering topics, including hazard mitigation, flood insurance, infrastructure, mapping, planning, flood modeling, regulations, floodproofing, stormwater management, flood proofing, construction standards and more. Princeton Hydro's Christiana Pollack, GISP, CFM and NJDEP's Jessica Jahre, PP, AICP, CFM are giving a presentation, titled "A Flood Assessment for the Future," for which they'll showcase a flood assessment and flood mitigation analysis that Princeton Hydro performed in the Lower Moodna Creek Watershed.
Riverkeeper and Patagonia present the premiere of "Undamming the Hudson River," a short documentary film by National Geographic filmmaker Jon Bowermaster showcasing Riverkeeper’s efforts to restore natural habitat by eliminating obsolete dams throughout the Hudson River Estuary. The screening will be followed by refreshments and a panel discussion, moderated by Bowermaster, featuring experts in the field and an audience Q&A. Panelists, include:
This event is free and open to the public and will take place at Patagonia SoHo, 72 Greene St, New York, NY 10012 from 7:30 - 10pm.
MAC URISA 2018, the largest GIS conference in the Mid-Atlantic region, will showcase outstanding and innovative uses of GIS technologies in the area. The program includes a variety of presentations, breakout sessions, a GIS Techspo forum, lightening talks, and more. Thomas Hopper, Princeton Hydro's GIS Analyst, is providing a technical demonstration on the Linkage Mapper GIS Toolkit, which was created by the Nature Conservancy to support habitat connectivity analyses.
NALMS is hosting its 38th International Symposium in Cincinnati Ohio, titled "Now Trending: Innovations in Lake Management." This year’s symposium includes a robust exhibit hall, a variety of field trips, and a wide array of presentations on topics ranging from the latest in monitoring technologies to combating invasive species to nutrient and water quality management and more. Princeton Hydro's Dr. Fred Lubnow, Director of Aquatic Programs, and Dr. Stephen Souza, Founder, both of whom have been members of NALMS since its inception, are presenting and exhibiting during the conference.
SAME gives leaders from the A/E/C, environmental, and facility management industries the opportunity to come together with federal agencies in order to showcase best practices and highlight future opportunities for small businesses to work in the federal market. Princeton Hydro is proud to be attending the 2018 SAME SBC Conference, which is being held in New Orleans and co-locating with the Department of Veteran's Affairs' National Veterans Small Business Engagement. The program consists of networking events, small business exhibits, a variety of speakers and much more.
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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