On my way back from the salt marsh yesterday morning, I swung past the Winnicut River. I’d been hearing about the dam removal project on the radio and wanted to see what things looked like – the answer is: much changed from the last time I was there.
In 2007, the owners of the Winnicut Dam – the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department – decided to remove the dam after an extensive study determined that its removal would be the best option. It is the last remaining barrier on the mainstem of the Winnicut River and its removal effort, which also includes the installation of a fish passage structure upstream, will open more than 39 miles of upstream habitat for migratory fish such as alewives, blueback herring, and American eel. *
I took some photos (below) – there’s also a webcam and a blog if you’d like to see what things looked like before and during the removal.
Old bridge abutments and the highway above.
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Downstream.
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One neat thing about projects like this is all the interesting trash that gets revealed.
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