Location
Construction & Engineering Hall, Oregon State University
Start Date
25-6-2013 11:40 AM
End Date
25-6-2013 12:00 PM
Description
As a signatory of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement and subsequent iterations, Virginia provides fish passage for diadromous fishes by removing impediments or constructing fishways. There are over 76,000 dams exceeding 6’ in the United States. Approximately 1,300 dams exist in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed alone. When feasible, dam removal is the preferred fish passage option due to the additional benefits of stream habitat restoration and recreational boating safety improvements. Owner, neighbor and community cooperation, as well as funding and historical mitigation are the main challenges. To date, 14 dams have been removed and several others breached or notched. Dam removal projects are monitored to determine effectiveness. For example, several alosine species were documented utilizing the Rappahannock River as many as 28 miles upstream of the former Embrey Dam. Removal of a formerly FERC licensed dam from the Appomattox River is planned for 2013. Removal of a dilapidated dam from a Rappahannock tributary is also planned for 2013 if challenging issues involving stream bottom ownership claims by an opposing neighbor can be resolved. Virginia’s fish passage effort plays a significant role in reaching the larger Chesapeake Bay restoration goals. Since the program’s inception in the early 1990’s, a total of 952 miles of stream habitat has been reopened by fishway and removal projects in Virginia’s portion of the Bay watershed. Overall, Bay Program partners exceeded original 10 year mileage goals in 2004 and are approaching the achievement of new goals set for 2014. A new Chesapeake Bay GIS based fish passage prioritization tool developed by TNC and the Bay fish passage partners is being utilized to help identify future projects.
Concurrent Sessions A: Dam Removal I - Dam Removal in Virginia: "Dammed If You Don't, Undammed If You Do"
Construction & Engineering Hall, Oregon State University
As a signatory of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement and subsequent iterations, Virginia provides fish passage for diadromous fishes by removing impediments or constructing fishways. There are over 76,000 dams exceeding 6’ in the United States. Approximately 1,300 dams exist in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed alone. When feasible, dam removal is the preferred fish passage option due to the additional benefits of stream habitat restoration and recreational boating safety improvements. Owner, neighbor and community cooperation, as well as funding and historical mitigation are the main challenges. To date, 14 dams have been removed and several others breached or notched. Dam removal projects are monitored to determine effectiveness. For example, several alosine species were documented utilizing the Rappahannock River as many as 28 miles upstream of the former Embrey Dam. Removal of a formerly FERC licensed dam from the Appomattox River is planned for 2013. Removal of a dilapidated dam from a Rappahannock tributary is also planned for 2013 if challenging issues involving stream bottom ownership claims by an opposing neighbor can be resolved. Virginia’s fish passage effort plays a significant role in reaching the larger Chesapeake Bay restoration goals. Since the program’s inception in the early 1990’s, a total of 952 miles of stream habitat has been reopened by fishway and removal projects in Virginia’s portion of the Bay watershed. Overall, Bay Program partners exceeded original 10 year mileage goals in 2004 and are approaching the achievement of new goals set for 2014. A new Chesapeake Bay GIS based fish passage prioritization tool developed by TNC and the Bay fish passage partners is being utilized to help identify future projects.
Comments
Alan Weaver has been the Fish Passage Coordinator for DGIF since 1993. His primary focus is coordinating and monitoring fish passage projects such as dam removals and fishways. He has been active in AFS for 20 years and is a Certified Fisheries Professional. Alan earned a B.S. in Biology from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA and his M.S. in Aquatic Ecology from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. Prior to DGIF, he worked at the VA Water Control Board and the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission.