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Restoring Rivers, Reviving Species: Our Work to Help River Herring
Dam Removal for Ecological Renewal and Restoration
Save the Sound and the Town of Wilton, CT, are removing Dana Dam, also known as Strong Pond Dam, in Merwin Meadows Park. The dam was breached in mid-May as one of the first steps in removing this barrier to fish passage on the Norwalk River. Removal is expected to be completed this fall.
The dam is the first barrier upstream of Long Island Sound and blocks passage for migrating fish such as alewife, blueback herring, and sea lamprey in their search for suitable habitat to reproduce. The removal will reconnect 10 miles of habitat along the main stem and tributaries of the Norwalk River for migratory and resident fish and restore the riverine ecosystem for native plants and animals.
“The main purpose of removing a dam is environmental restoration,” says Alex Krofta, ecological restoration project manager at Save the Sound. “Dams trap sediment that would normally flow downstream to create riverbed habitat. Dams block the passage of fish and other aquatic organisms. Dams impair water quality by creating large, stagnant impoundments holding water with low oxygen levels and high temperatures, which are harmful to fish and other aquatic life. Removing a dam has many benefits.”
The removal of Dana Dam is just one project in a larger effort to free Long Island Sound’s tributaries. Connecticut has more than 5,000 structures disrupting the flow of our rivers—the most per river mile in the country. Most no longer serve any purpose, and their lack of maintenance results in an increased risk of flooding due to dam breach or failure.
Dana Dam’s removal will eliminate the flooding risk from a dam failure, improve water quality, and restore habitat for fish and wildlife to the benefit of both the local Wilton community and the greater Long Island Sound community.
