Location
Construction & Engineering Hall, Oregon State University
Start Date
26-6-2013 4:10 PM
End Date
26-6-2013 4:30 PM
Description
The Taunton River, a ~500 mi2 watershed in Southeastern Massachusetts, hosts one of the largest river herring runs in New England and was designated Wild and Scenic in 2009. The Taunton mainstream is free-flowing but many tributaries are blocked by obsolete and deteriorating dams that obstruct fish passage and pose safety hazards to surrounding communities. Since 2005 two unmaintained dams in the watershed caused high profile emergencies. With public and private partners, The Nature Conservancy is working to remove obsolete dams in this watershed, as well as improve enabling conditions for future dam removals through statewide policy efforts to expedite restoration project permitting and increase dam removal funding. Concern for public safety has been an effective catalyst for this progress, encouraging public officials to back dam removal efforts and leading community members and dam owners to support dam removal projects.
Concurrent Sessions A: Co-Benefits of Barrier Removal: Fish Passage and Public Safety - Dam Removal in the Taunton Watershed, MA: Benefits for Fish and People
Construction & Engineering Hall, Oregon State University
The Taunton River, a ~500 mi2 watershed in Southeastern Massachusetts, hosts one of the largest river herring runs in New England and was designated Wild and Scenic in 2009. The Taunton mainstream is free-flowing but many tributaries are blocked by obsolete and deteriorating dams that obstruct fish passage and pose safety hazards to surrounding communities. Since 2005 two unmaintained dams in the watershed caused high profile emergencies. With public and private partners, The Nature Conservancy is working to remove obsolete dams in this watershed, as well as improve enabling conditions for future dam removals through statewide policy efforts to expedite restoration project permitting and increase dam removal funding. Concern for public safety has been an effective catalyst for this progress, encouraging public officials to back dam removal efforts and leading community members and dam owners to support dam removal projects.
Comments
Cathy Bozek is an Aquatic Ecologist at The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts. Her work focuses on dam removal projects, watershed assessments, and storm water management issues. Cathy works with local stakeholders to encourage their involvement in freshwater conservation and restoration projects. She earned a M.S. in Water Resources from the University of New Hampshire and a B.A. in Geology and a minor in Biology from Colgate University.