Prioritizing Dams at the State Level for Fish Passage Projects to Benefit Anadromous Fish

Prioritizing Dams at the State Level for Fish Passage Projects to Benefit Anadromous Fish

Stephen Gephard1 Sally Harold2

1CTDEEP/Inland Fisheries Division, Old Lyme, CT 2TNC/Connecticut Chapter, New Haven, CT

While we’d like to do it all, we have to prioritize– limited resources and funders want to spend their money on the projects with the most bang for the buck.

Gephard & Harold. Prioritizing Dams. Salmon & Ecosystem Forum 2014

• Worked with representatives from 13 northeastern states (agency and NGO, and academic)• worked with existing dam databases• converted all data into one compatible GIS database.• analyzed 16 parameters to reflect value to anadromous fish

Number of downstream barriers upstream dam densityUpstream functional network sizeIS% in watershedNumber of upstream size classesNumber of road crossingstatus of anadromous fish habitatNumber of hydro dams

• analysis provided a score• Rather than ranking 1 – 13,000, dams were placed in 5% bins of priority

DRAFT: Northeast Connectivity Assessment Tool R esults 6/21/11

Note: Dams are sorted alphabetically within each 5% result increment. Overall ranks are visible further to the right.

Column BH indicates dams which are in HUC8s with no historical presence for the 7 anadromous species of interest (NatureServe data)Anadromous Weighting Scenario

STATE NAME Alt Name Anadromous Weights Scenario Overall Percentile Results Resident Weights Scenario Overall Percentile Results Stream Name (NHD) Town (ZIP overlay) HUC12 NAME River Size Class Overall Rank Connecitivty Status Rank Connecti vity Improvement Rank Watershed and Local Condition Rank Ecological Rank Size Class Rank

NY 079-0075 Top 5% 13th 5% Sandy Creek Adams Sandy Creek 2 - Small Rivers 420 497 3706 7821 8 7

NY 080-5221 Top 5% 13th 5% Salmon River Altmar Orwell Creek-Salmon River 3a - Med. Trib. Rivers 596 627 6645 1954 8 16

NY 081-0197 Top 5% 10th 5% Little Salmon River Mexico Little Salmon River 2 - Small Rivers 559 6236 1679 6883 8 5

NY 090-0126 Top 5% 5th 5% Little Sandy Creek Lacona Little Sandy Creek 1b - Creeks 582 547 2847 609 8 24

NY 122-0317 Top 5% 4th 5% Grass River Canton Harrison Creek - Grass River 3a - Med. Trib. Rivers 638 2167 1521 5701 8 21

NY 122-0327 Top 5% 2nd 5% Grannis Brook Canton Grannis Brook 1b - Creeks 572 1723 989 2625 8 24

NY 122-0351 Top 5% 4th 5% Grass River Canton Harrison Creek - Grass River 3a - Med. Trib. Rivers 635 6913 913 4011 8 14

NY 122-0368 Top 5% 6th 5% Little River Canton Van Rensselaer Creek-Little River 2 - Small Rivers 433 2999 2548 4749 8 6

NY 123-0432 Top 5% Top 5% Grass River Russell Plumb Brook - Grass River 3a - Med. Trib. Rivers 412 5402 501 721 8 15

NY 123-0435 Top 5% 7th 5% Elm Creek Hermon Elm Creek 2 - Small Rivers 282 1849 1751 4236 8 4

NY 135-0149 Top 5% 4th 5% Saint Regis River Brasher Falls Bell Brook-Saint Regis River 3a - Med. Trib. Rivers 404 3616 1455 1981 8 13

NY 136-0238 Top 5% 6th 5% West Branch Saint Regis River Potsdam Tucker Brook-West Branch Saint Regis River 3a - Med. Trib. Rivers 500 4207 2252 1931 8 15

NY 138-0474 Top 5% Top 5% Oswegatchie River Star Lake Buck Brook-Oswegatchie River 2 - Small Rivers 608 11120 605 1 8 7

NY 150-0061 Top 5% Top 5% Deer River Brasher Falls Redwater Brook-Deer River 2 - Small Rivers 294 3317 164 3068 8 6

NY 150-0078 Top 5% 3rd 5% Little Salmon River Bombay Town of Bombay-Little Salmon River 2 - Small Rivers 327 1691 355 4538 8 7

NY 150-0156 Top 5% 10th 5% Deer River North Lawrence Kingston Brook-Deer River 2 - Small Rivers 399 3522 3086 3499 8 5

NY 151-0200 Top 5% 5th 5% Deer River Dickinson Center Kingston Brook-Deer River 2 - Small Rivers 275 3790 1771 575 8 4

NY 151-0206 Top 5% 3rd 5% Saint Regis River Nicholville Miller Brook-Saint Regis River 3a - Med. Trib. Rivers 677 8730 850 2002 8 15

NY 151-0213 Top 5% 3rd 5% Saint Regis River North Lawrence Miller Brook-Saint Regis River 3a - Med. Trib. Rivers 414 3946 906 571 8 16

NY 151-0229 Top 5% 4th 5% Saint Regis River Saint Regis Falls Long Pond-Saint Regis River 3a - Med. Trib. Rivers 681 9452 1349 616 8 13

NY 165-0069 Top 5% 5th 5% Salmon River Constable Plum Brook-Salmon River 2 - Small Rivers 345 1332 1568 3462 8 7

NY 165-0114 Top 5% 3rd 5% Constable Collins Brook-Trout River 2 - Small Rivers 254 453 388 4029 8 7

NY 181-0176 Top 5% 3rd 5% Little Trout River Burke Little Trout River 1b - Creeks 449 570 1009 2511 8 24

NY 181-0177 Top 5% 6th 5% Chateaugay Allen Brook-Chateaugay River 2 - Small Rivers 585 4518 743 6030 8 7

ME Abenaquis Dam Top 5% 10th 5% Kennebec River Madison Getchell Brook-Kennebec River 3b - Med. Mainstem Rivers 169 8759 3467 3672 7 11

VT Adams Paper Co. Top 5% 4th 5% Wells River Wells River Wells River 2 - Small Rivers 259 10988 2893 7926 7 7

ME Adams Pond Dam Top 5% 5th 5% Cross River Boothbay Cross River 1a - Headwaters 268 143 9635 8307 2 25

CT ADDISON POND DAM Top 5% 6th 5% Salmon Brook Glastonbury Salmon Brook 1b - Creeks 343 8609 3790 9552 1 24

NY AKRON DAM Top 5% 11th 5% Murder Creek Akron Lower Murder Creek 2 - Small Rivers 686 6833 1420 9389 8 4

ME Alamoosook Dam Top 5% 2nd 5% Narramissic River Orland Alamoosook Lake 2 - Small Rivers 10 984 426 3296 5 7

ME Alder Brook Dam Top 5% 2nd 5% Grendell Brook Mapleton Alder Brook 1b - Creeks 106 2404 1542 1231 7 24

NH AMMONOOSUC RIVER DAM Top 5% 7th 5% Ammonoosuc River Bath Ammonoosuc River 3a - Med. Trib. Rivers 549 13591 1764 8948 7 21

ME Anson Station Dam Top 5% 2nd 5% Kennebec River Anson Getchell Brook-Kennebec River 3b - Med. Mainstem Rivers 190 12024 323 4023 7 10

MA Arm Brook Dam Top 5% 11th 5% Arm Brook Westfield Powerdmill Brook-Westfield River 1b - Creeks 406 4746 4403 12779 4 24

ME Arnold Lake Dam Top 5% 5th 5% Presque Isle Arnold Brook-Lower Presque Isle Stream 1a - Headwaters 256 2305 4886 6920 7 25

NY ARTHUR DAM Top 5% 9th 5% Little Salmon River Mexico Little Salmon River 2 - Small Rivers 423 1772 3304 5903 8 6

VA ASHLAND MILL DAM Top 5% 2nd 5% South Anna River Ashland Cedar Creek-South Anna River 3a - Med. Trib. Rivers 668 4589 385 4274 8 21

MD ATKISSON DAM Top 5% 8th 5% Winters Run Joppa Lower Winters Run 2 - Small Rivers 413 1018 402 10424 8 7

NY AUSTIN DAM Top 5% Top 5% West Branch Oswegatchie River Harrisville Blanchard Creek-West Branch Oswegatchie River 2 - Small Rivers 609 10668 643 238 8 7

ME Automatic Number 4 Top 5% 11th 5% Waterville Messalonskee Stream 3a - Med. Trib. Rivers 194 5803 3764 10428 5 16

CT BABCOCK POND DAM #1 Top 5% 9th 5% Colchester Jeremy River 1b - Creeks 440 4701 7161 3664 7 24

VT Bakers Falls Top 5% 3rd 5% Missisquoi River North Troy Jay Branch-Missisquoi River 2 - Small Rivers 654 7082 335 6095 8 7

ME Balch Pond Outlet Top 5% 9th 5% Little Ossipee River West Newfield Balch Pond-Shapleigh Pond 1b - Creeks 683 6959 2640 5005 7 24

VT Ball Mountain Top 5% 3rd 5% West River Jamaica Cobb Brook-West River 2 - Small Rivers 202 12825 228 4350 7 7

NJ Bamber Lake Dam Top 5% 5th 5% Cedar Creek Forked River Upper Cedar Creek 1b - Creeks 459 1526 1136 1288 8 24

ME Bar Mills Dam Top 5% 5th 5% Saco River Hollis Center Stony Brook-Salmon Falls 3b - Med. Mainstem Rivers 253 3939 1019 5951 4 18

RI BARBERVILLE POND Top 5% 9th 5% Wood River Hope Valley Upper Wood River 2 - Small Rivers 354 3605 1550 4959 8 5

ME Barker Mill Dam Top 5% 8th 5% Little Androscoggin River Auburn Taylor Pond-Little Androscoggin River 3a - Med. Trib. Rivers 434 4413 9616 11487 4 21

ME Barker Mill Upper Top 5% 15th 5% Little Androscoggin River Auburn Taylor Pond-Little Androscoggin River 3a - Med. Trib. Rivers 246 7357 4589 10198 6 16

ME Barker Pond Dam Top 5% 3rd 5% Hancock Brook Hiram Barker Pond 1b - Creeks 470 7037 2015 1363 7 24

NY BARTLETT CARRY DAM Top 5% Top 5% Tupper Lake Upper Saranac Lake 2 - Small Rivers 548 9660 458 725 8 7

NJ BATSTO DAM Top 5% 4th 5% Batsto River Egg Harbor City Batsto River 2 - Small Rivers 461 5627 334 3098 8 7

MA Baystate Plumbing & Heating Pond Dam Top 5% 9th 5% Springfield Mill River 1b - Creeks 691 5466 8396 13552 1 24

ME Bearce Flowage Dam Top 5% 5th 5% Meddybemps Meddybemps Lake 1a - Headwaters 257 4043 7025 1654 4 25

MA Bearhole Reservoir Top 5% 7th 5% Paucatuck Brook West Springfield Powerdmill Brook-Westfield River 1b - Creeks 369 8201 4451 6441 4 24

NJ Beaver Club Dam Top 5% 4th 5% Sluice Creek Cape May Court House Dennis Creek 1b - Creeks 604 307 2928 3764 8 24

WV Beech Fork Lake Dam Top 5% Top 5% Beech Fork Lavalette Outlet Beech Fork 2 - Small Rivers 623 5512 352 5719 8 7

CT BEECHLAND PARK POND DAM Top 5% 9th 5% West Hartford Trout Brook 1b - Creeks 560 9798 4194 13599 1 24

NH BELLOWS FALLS DAM Top 5% 5th 5% Connecticut River North Walpole Jabes Hackett Brook-Connecticut River 4 - Large Rivers 252 13363 114 8715 5 7

CT BENEDICT POND DAM Top 5% 5th 5% Doolittle Lake Brook Norfolk Sandy Brook 1a - Headwaters 512 6188 8812 705 6 25

VT Bethel Mills Top 5% 4th 5% Third Branch White River Bethel Third Branch White River 2 - Small Rivers 255 13141 305 7618 7 7

ME Bickford Pond Dam Top 5% 4th 5% Mill Brook Porter Bickford Pond-Ossipee River 1b - Creeks 687 8300 2774 1989 7 24

NY BIG OTTER LAKE DAM Top 5% Top 5% Otter Creek Glenfield Otter Creek 1b - Creeks 697 5564 904 1 8 24

CT BILLS POND DAM Top 5% 7th 5% East Branch Eightmile River Old Lyme East Branch Eightmile River 1b - Creeks 237 7330 1861 6329 5 24

NY BLACK BROOK DAM Top 5% Top 5% Black Brook Au Sable Forks Black Brook 2 - Small Rivers 453 6180 1066 960 8 7

ME Black Lake Dam Top 5% 2nd 5% Porter Little River-Ossipee River 1b - Creeks 612 4748 4019 1897 7 24

CT BLACKLEDGE RIV ER DAM Top 5% 4th 5% Blackledge River Glastonbury Blackledge River 1b - Creeks 183 1725 6162 3072 4 24

VA BLACKMORE MILLPOND DAM Top 5% Top 5% Little Branch Lancaster Western Branch Corrotoman River 1b - Creeks 671 231 3914 2566 8 24

CT BLACKWELLS POND DAM Top 5% 7th 5% Beaver Brook Old Lyme Eightmile River 1b - Creeks 468 5488 8084 5070 5 24

VT Blodgett Top 5% 5th 5% Roaring Brook Bradford Halls Brook 1b - Creeks 422 10116 3602 5445 7 24

ME Bog Brook Dam Top 5% Top 5% Bog Brook Cherryfield Narraguagus River 1b - Creeks 27 285 2042 347 4 24

ME Bonney Eagle Dam Top 5% 3rd 5% Saco River Standish Bonney Eagle Pond-Saco River 3b - Med. Mainstem Rivers 225 5016 252 4333 7 11

MA Bowens Pond Dam Top 5% 5th 5% Osgood Brook Wendell Lyons Brook-Millers River 1a - Headwaters 322 6472 6313 2239 4 25

ME Boyden Lake Dam Top 5% 6th 5% Boyden Stream Perry Boyden Stream 1b - Creeks 56 293 1839 1090 6 24

ME Boynton-Trask Dam Top 5% 2nd 5% Dyer River Jefferson Dyer River 1b - Creeks 33 726 1313 1853 2 24

VT Bradford Top 5% 4th 5% Waits River Bradford Waits River 2 - Small Rivers 247 13319 239 5656 7 7

ME Bradley-Springs Island Dam Top 5% 9th 5% Saco River Biddeford Camp Ellis-Saco River 3b - Med. Mainstem Rivers 31 1527 1561 7973 3 10

ME Branch Lake Dam Top 5% 5th 5% Branch Lake Stream Ellsworth Union River 1b - Creeks 580 1657 805 2203 8 24

ME Branch Pond Dam Top 5% 3rd 5% West Branch Sheepscot River South China West Branch Sheepscot River 1b - Creeks 81 1387 2479 2763 2 24

ME Branns Pond Dam Top 5% 3rd 5% Black Stream Dover Foxcroft Black Stream 1b - Creeks 180 7454 1480 2193 6 24

VA BRECKINRIDGE DAM Top 5% Top 5% Chopawamsic Creek Quantico Chopawamsic Creek 1b - Creeks 529 1892 1135 1153 8 24

ME Brewer Lake Dam Top 5% Top 5% Orrington Sedgeunkedunk Stream 1b - Creeks 74 1682 2085 1244 2 24

CT BREWERS POND DAM Top 5% 8th 5% South Windsor Stoughton Brook-Connecticut River 1a - Headwaters 502 2331 8658 11063 1 25

ME Bristol Mills Dam Top 5% 4th 5% Pemaquid River Bristol Pemaquid River 1b - Creeks 88 2638 851 1942 5 24

VT Brockway Mills Top 5% 5th 5% Williams River Chester Williams River 2 - Small Rivers 220 13060 221 6465 5 7

ME Brooks Dam Top 5% 2nd 5% Marsh Stream Brooks Upper Marsh Stream 1b - Creeks 57 872 1040 4157 3 24

NY BROWN MILLING CO DAM Top 5% 8th 5% South Branch Cattaraugus Creek Cattaraugus South Branch Cattaraugus Creek 2 - Small Rivers 551 6514 1268 7133 8 5

NY BROWNVILLE DA M Top 5% 8th 5% Black River Dexter Kelsey Creek-Black River 3b - Med. Mainstem Rivers 510 1811 968 9361 8 12

NY BUNDY MILLING COMPANY DAM Top 5% 9th 5% Big Sister Creek Angola Big Sister Creek 2 - Small Rivers 527 5270 1046 9372 8 5

ME Burnham Dam Top 5% Top 5% Sebasticook River Burnham Middle Sebasticook River 3a - Med. Trib. Rivers 63 3265 356 4302 2 21

WV Burnsville Lake Dam Top 5% 5th 5% Little Kanawha River Burnsville Burnsville Lake-Little Kanawha River 2 - Small Rivers 364 5171 1567 3137 8 4

ME Burntland Stream Dam Top 5% Top 5% Burnt Land Brook Westfield Burntland Brook 1b - Creeks 82 2478 1041 149 7 24

VA BYRDS MILL DAM Top 5% Top 5% King and Queen Swamp Milford Beverly Run 1b - Creeks 624 1988 1878 1306 8 24

VA CAMP 1 Top 5% 8th 5% Quantico Creek Dumfries Quantico Creek 1b - Creeks 679 1835 4159 1572 8 19

CT CAMPANELE POND DAM Top 5% 7th 5% Smith Brook Glastonbury Goff Brook-Connecticut River 1a - Headwaters 398 4411 5770 11507 1 25

ME Caribou Dam Top 5% Top 5% Aroostook River Caribou Pettingill Brook-Aroostook River 3b - Med. Mainstem Rivers 26 1312 12 1433 7 18

ME Caribou Mill Pond Dam Top 5% 3rd 5% Caribou Stream Caribou Caribou Stream 2 - Small Rivers 25 673 475 5501 7 7

FINAL PRODUCT- RANKING OF 13,000+ DAMS IN 13 NORTHEASTERN STATES


STATE NAME Alt Name

Anadromous Weights

Scenario Overall

Percentile Results

Resident Weights Scenario Overall

Percentile Results

Stream Name (NHD)

Town (ZIP overlay) HUC12 NAME

River Size Class

Overall Rank

NY 079-0075 Top 5% 13th 5% Sandy Creek Adams Sandy Creek2 - Small

Rivers 420

NY 080-5221 Top 5% 13th 5% Salmon River AltmarOrwell Creek-Salmon River

3a - Med. Trib. Rivers 596

NY 081-0197 Top 5% 10th 5% Little Salmon River Mexico Little Salmon River2 - Small

Rivers 559

NY 090-0126 Top 5% 5th 5% Little Sandy Creek Lacona Little Sandy Creek 1b - Creeks 582

NY 122-0317 Top 5% 4th 5% Grass River CantonHarrison Creek - Grass River


NY 122-0327 Top 5% 2nd 5% Grannis Brook Canton Grannis Brook 1b - Creeks 572

NY 122-0351 Top 5% 4th 5% Grass River CantonHarrison Creek - Grass River


NY 122-0368 Top 5% 6th 5% Little River CantonVan Rensselaer Creek-Little River

2 - Small Rivers 433

NY 123-0432 Top 5% Top 5% Grass River RussellPlumb Brook - Grass River


NY 123-0435 Top 5% 7th 5% Elm Creek Hermon Elm Creek2 - Small

Rivers 282

NY 135-0149 Top 5% 4th 5% Saint Regis RiverBrasher Falls

Bell Brook-Saint Regis River


FINAL PRODUCT- RANKING OF 13,000 DAMS IN 13 NORTHEASTERN STATES

COLUMNS EXTEND OFF THE SCREEN TO THE RIGHT


We developed an approach to customize/focus these data for CT dams. Steps:

1. Sort for just CT2. Add dams we know about but were not in database3. Go through new CT list and assign dams to 1 of 6 categories

4. Site visits for more info– adjust assignment as needed5. Score priority dams on additional criteria6. Develop refined priority lists


• Known priority for fish passage (dam removal or fishway)• More info needed• Does not exist• Has a fishway (may not preclude future removal)• Industrial (FERC hydro, Flood Control, Water Supply, etc.)• If none of the above- “low priority”

Step 1- sort NCAT list by State and delete all states but CT (in all subsequent slides, we have hidden most of the columns to improve readability)

State Dam name bin tier Stream Town CommentsCT ASPINOOK POND DAM 1 Quinebaug River Jewett City FERC hydro. Re-license> 2020CT BLACKLEDGE RIVER DAM 1 Blackledge River Glastonbury first barrier, town park, near end of range

CT COLEBROOK RIVER DAM 1West Branch Farmington River Riverton ACOE FCD

CTCOMPENSATING RESERVOIR DA 1

East Branch Farmington River New Hartford MDC water dam

CT HAMMONASSET DAM 1 Hammonasset River Killingworth SCRWA water dam

CTSTANCHEM DAM aka High Pond 1 Mattabesset River East Berlin dam 33-10 (aka High Pond Dam)

CT HOCKANUM RESERVOIR 1 Hockanum River East Hartford no dam

CT HOGBACK DAM 1West Branch Farmington River Riverton MDC water dam

CT KIMBALL POND DAM 1 Merrick Brook Hampton need to researchCT LAKE HOUSATONIC DAM 1 Housatonic River Derby FERC hydro. Re-license> 2026CT LEESVILLE DAM 1 Salmon River East Hampton DEEP owned w/ salmon trapCT LEWIS POND DAM 1 Broad Brook Preston need to researchCT MILL POND DAM 1 Scantic River Somers DEEP owned.CT MOULSONS POND DAM 1 Eightmile River Old Lyme owned by local dam group w/fishway

CTNORTON PAPER COMPANY DAM 1 Jeremy River Colchester owned by local anti-gov't, Shelley

CT OCCUM POND DAM 1 Shetucket River Norwich FERC hydroCT STONY BROOK POND DAM 1 Stony Brook Suffield does not exist


Narrowing the Focus


From 13,000+ dams in 13 states

To 1,709 dams in 1 state

Step 2- Assign each dam to category. Color coded each, then sorted by color to create separate lists.

Purple= priority, yellow= more info needed, green= does not exist, blue= has fishway or eelpass, orange= hydro, water company, FCD, etc.

State Dam name bin tier Stream Town Comments

CT ASPINOOK POND DAM 1 Quinebaug River Jewett City FERC hydro. Re-license> 2020

CT BLACKLEDGE RIVER DAM 1 Blackledge River Glastonbury first barrier, town park, near end of range

CT COLEBROOK RIVER DAM 1 West Branch Farmington River Riverton ACOE FCD

CT COMPENSATING RESERVOIR DA 1 East Branch Farmington River New Hartford MDC water dam

CT HAMMONASSET DAM 1 Hammonasset River Killingworth SCRWA water dam

CT STANCHEM DAM aka High Pond 1 Mattabesset River East Berlin dam 33-10 (aka High Pond Dam)

CT HOCKANUM RESERVOIR 1 Hockanum River East Hartford no dam

CT HOGBACK DAM 1 West Branch Farmington River Riverton MDC water dam

CT KIMBALL POND DAM 1 Merrick Brook Hampton need to research

CT LAKE HOUSATONIC DAM 1 Housatonic River Derby FERC hydro. Re-license> 2026

CT LEESVILLE DAM 1 Salmon River East Hampton DEEP owned w/ salmon trap

CT LEWIS POND DAM 1 Broad Brook Preston need to research

CT MILL POND DAM 1 Scantic River Somers DEEP owned.

CT MOULSONS POND DAM 1 Eightmile River Old Lyme owned by local dam group w/fishway

CT NORTON PAPER COMPANY DAM 1 Jeremy River Colchester owned by local anti-gov't, Shelley

CT OCCUM POND DAM 1 Shetucket River Norwich FERC hydro

CT STONY BROOK POND DAM 1 Stony Brook Suffield does not exist

CT TARIFFVILLE DAM 1 Farmington River Bloomfield FRWA working to remove

CT unnamed dam 1 Saugatuck River Westport Probably wood dam, Aquarion water dam

CT UPPER MILL POND DAM 1 Indian River Clinton maybe land trust

CT VERSAILLES POND DAM 1 Little River Baltic major contamination issues; fishway

CT ADDISON POND DAM 2 Salmon Brook Glastonbury developer, d/s dam

CT BIBBINS POND DAM 2 Beaver Brook North Windham not much habitat, benefit

CT BILLS POND DAM 2 East Branch Eightmile River Old Lyme TNC/AR worki

CT CAPELLO POND DAM 2 East River Guilford lake authority recreation w/fishway

CT CELLU COMPANY DAM 2 Hockanum River East Hartford interested, but two d/s dams

CT CHALKERS MILLPOND DAM 2 Oyster River Old Saybrook Town, valued, w/ fishway

CT CHAPMAN POND DAM 2 Menunketesuck River Clinton working on fishway now, CRCCD

CT COLLINS COMPANY LOWER DAM 2 West Branch Farmington River Burlington under FERC prelim permit, will have fishway

CT COLLINS COMPANY UPPER DAM 2 West Branch Farmington River Canton under FERC prelim permit, will have fishway

CT CREAMER DAM 2 Dismal Brook North Granby not much habitat, benefit

CT DEER LAKE DAM 2 Chatfield Hollow Brook Killingworth above barrier falls

• Priority for fish passage (dam removal or fishway)

• More info needed• Does not exist• Has a fishway• Industrial (FERC hydro, Flood

Control, Water Supply, etc.)


Dam name Comments CriteriaAMERICAN THREAD DAM #1 IndustrialAMERICAN THREAD DAM #3 IndustrialASPETUCK RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialASPINOOK POND DAM Industrial

BECKWITH POND DAMNew London Water Coo., w/ eel pass Industrial

BETHANY LAKE DAM IndustrialBLACK ROCK DAM IndustrialBOGUE BROOK RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialBROAD BROOK RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialBULLS BRIDGE DAM IndustrialCANDLEWOOD LAKE DAM IndustrialCANDLEWOOD LAKE DAM IndustrialCOLEBROOK RIVER DAM IndustrialCOLLINS COMPANY LOWER DAM IndustrialCOLLINS COMPANY UPPER DAM IndustrialCOMPENSATING RESERVOIR DA IndustrialCOPPS BROOK POND DAM #1 IndustrialDEANS RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialDEEP HOLLOW RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialDEEP RIVER RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialDEUSES POND DAM IndustrialEASTON RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialGREAT FALLS DAM IndustrialGREENEVILLE DAM IndustrialHAMMONASSET DAM IndustrialHANCOCK BROOK DAM IndustrialHEMLOCK RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialHOGBACK DAM IndustrialKELSEYTOWN RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialKENMERE RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialKILLINGWORTH RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialLAKE CHAMBERLAIN DAM IndustrialLAKE DAWSON DAM IndustrialLAKE GAILLARD DAM IndustrialLAKE HOUSATONIC DAM IndustrialLAKE KONOMOC DAM IndustrialLAKE SALTONSTALL DAM IndustrialLAKE WATROUS DAM IndustrialLEDYARD RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialMANSFIELD HOLLOW DAM IndustrialMENUCKATUCK RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialMIANUS FILTER PLANT DAM IndustrialMYSTIC RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialNEPAUG RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialNEW BRITAIN RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialNEW BRITAIN RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialNORTH STAMFORD RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialNORTHFIELD BROOK DAM IndustrialPOMPERAUG MILL DAM IndustrialPOQUONNOCK BROOK WEIR DAM IndustrialPOQUONNOCK DAM IndustrialRAKAK DAM (Rajak Dam) IndustrialROBERTSVILLE DAM IndustrialRUGG BROOK RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialSAVILLE DAM IndustrialSCOTLAND DAM IndustrialSHEPAUG DAM IndustrialSHEPAUG RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialSTEVENSON DAM IndustrialTHOMASTON DAM IndustrialTRAP FALLS RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialTUNNEL DAM IndustrialUPPER POND DAM IndustrialUPPER SHEPAUG RESERVOIR DAM IndustrialWEST THOMPSON FLOOD CONTROL DAM IndustrialWHITNEY LAKE DAM IndustrialWILLIMANTIC RESERVOIR DAM Industrial

On this slide, Green= “DOES NOT EXIST”, Orange= “INDUSTRIAL”

Step 3- Split out each category to a separate list.

Dam name Comments CriteriaATWATER POND DAM Does not Exist

BORDER POND DAMNeed more info - headwater classification Does not Exist

BUSH POND DAMbut already passable to all fish, homes Does not Exist

CAINS POND DAM Does not Exist

DEUTSCH POND DAMDoes not exist - last dam before reservoir - passable Does not Exist

DRAKOS POND DAM Does not Exist

DUNK ROCK POND DAMYork St - not barrier another way around. - Does not Exist Does not Exist

FALLS RIVER POND DAM Does not Exist

GAME FARM POND DAMvisited. Move to "does not exist" list Does not Exist

GAY POND DAM Does not ExistHITCHCOCK DAM Does not ExistHOCKANUM RESERVOIR Does not Exist

HUMPHRYS POND DAMremains are not a barrier to fish (SG 4-22-13) Does not Exist

ISABELLE POND DAM Does not ExistLAKE MOHEGAN DAM Breached and passable Does not Exist

LAKE POND DAMaround Olsen Woods, does not exist Does not Exist

LILIAN POSES DAM/FRANKEL Does not ExistLOOS POND DAM Does not ExistMADDERN POND DAM/ East Lyme

Wrong town was listed as OL - no such dam listed Does not Exist

NORTON POND DAM

Cannot find - Headwater stream - N. Westchester - Norton Paper Mill ? Above natural barrier Does not Exist

PAPER MILL DAMNO Longer exists should call town Waterford not QH Does not Exist

RANSOM BROOK DAM Does not ExistRIMMON DAM Does not ExistSTILLWATER POND DAM Does not ExistSTONY BROOK POND DAM Does not ExistTARIFFVILLE DAM Does not ExistUNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD DA removed in 2012 Does not Existunnamed dam Does not Existunnamed dam Does not ExistUPPER HAMMER POND DAM Does not Exist

UPPER QUINIPIAC RIVER DAM

aka Upper River Dam, Britannia Spoon, etc. 148-02 Yalesville. Does not exist. Does not Exist

WING DAM Does not Exist

Dam name Comments Criteria

NORTON PAPER COMPANY DAM alternatives analysis underway High Priority

BRUNSWICK MILL DAM #1 proposed for removal, DEEP, AR, NRCS High Priority

MOOSUP RIVER DAM #1 proposed for removal, DEEP, AR, NRCS High Priority

MOOSUP RIVER DAM #3 proposed for removal, DEEP, AR, NRCS High PriorityBRISTOL BRASS DAM planned for removal, CCRPA High Priority

CHAPMAN POND DAMfishway design funded, $ for construction anticipated High Priority

FLOCK PROCESS DAM City studying removal High Priority

SMITH GRISTMILL DAM FRWA working to install fishway, valued High Priority

BUCKLEY DAMto date, owner not interested - TNC contact w/ owner High Priority

KAMAN TAILRACE DAM proposed for removal, DEEP, AR, NRCS High Priority

PAGES MILLPOND DAM second dam on Farm River, TU project High Priority

PATAGUANSET LAKE DAMState-owned, natural lake, needs fishway High Priority

SHUNOCK RIVER DAM Town owned, above Parke Pond High Priority

SPRINGBORN DAM DEEP owned, considering removal. High Priority

DENISON ROAD/TILEY-PRATT DAMriver herring to base! Leslie Lemay, local name= Tyl High Priority

HYDE POND DAM removal funded, town, w/fishway High Priority

JOHNSON MILLPOND DAMhistoric dam, fishway more likely than removal High Priority

SIDE POND DAM (aka Parke Pond) land trust now owns, wants to remove High Priority

STRAIGHT POND DAMDEEP owned, wants to remove USFWS funds 2014 High Priority

UPPER MILL POND DAM

Maybe Land trust potential. Visited. Potential for fishway. See bottom on list. Confusion between Upper Mill Pond (Clinton) and Upper Mill Pond (Old Lyme). This is Clinton. High Priority

WHITFORD POND DAM first dam after Hyde, breach, interest High Priority

LAKE BASILE DAMFRWA investigated for fishway. - trib to farmington High Priority

Step 4- Refine individual lists. We focused on two of the lists: PRIORITY DAMS (N= 69)

Dam name Comments CriteriaAMERICAN THREAD DAM #4 More infoAQUA POND DAM More info

Ashland Pond Dam2nd dam on Pachaug River - State-owned More info

BEAVER POND DAM Same as Milfro Beaver Pond? More infoBEAVER POND DAM More infoBEECHLAND PARK POND DAM 1st dam btwn New Park and I-84 More infoBELCHER BROOK POND DAM More infoBILLINGS AVERY DAM More info

BISHOPS POND DAMBishops dam - Dunk Rock Road - Need to visit again in spring. More info

BLACKWELLS POND DAM1st dam, but good distance U/S little habitat above More info

BLANCHARD POND DAM More infoBLISSVILLE POND DAM More info

BORRELLI FARM POND DAMsm trib to muddy river ds dams little habitat More info

BREWERS POND DAMsm trib of TOUGHTON, N OF GOVERNOR'S HWY More info

BRICKYARD POND DAM More info

BROOK POND DAM1st dam above head of tide, CT Wtr Co pond, McVeigh Road More info

CHARNLEY ROAD POND DAM More infoCHESTNUT BROOK DAM More infoCITY POND DAM More infoCow Hill Road Pond Didn't show up in data base More infoDEE POND DAM Tidewater trib More infoDOT POND DAM shade swamp sanctuary More infoDYER DAM More info

And “MORE INFORMATION NEEDED”.

• clear up confusion of dam name or location

• determine if there are downstream barriers

• inspect the dam to confirm it is a barrier

• visit the stream to confirm there is significant valuable habitat

N= 68


TASKS:

There is a need for standardized reporting form so different parties collect the same necessary information. We developed a field form to guide this.

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Step 5- Ground-truthing. Inspect dams (esp. “More Info Needed”) to be able to score dam.

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Some dam visits can be easy…


…and some of them are not so easy to find or get to.


Sometimes you find that there is no dam where you thought there was…


…and other times you find a dam where you didn’t think there was one.

Or you find a natural falls that was marked as a dam.

Sometimes your high priority dam ends up having a previously unrecorded natural barrier (waterfall) below it.

And therefore gets demoted to a low priority dam.


Table 1. Scoring Criteria for Dams in the 'High Priority' Category

Criteria S C O R E SCurrent passage (none/limited/full) 3 2 1First Dam? (yes/no) 2 0Qty fish @ base(many/mod/few/ ?/ 0) 4 3 2 1height of dam (<5/5-10/11-20/>20) 4 3 2 1Quality of u/s habitat(ex/g/f/poor) 4 3 1 0potential u/s opportunities ("""") 4 3 1 0Special conditions (yes/no) 2 0Sense of opportunity* 3 2 1 0Sense of urgency (urgent/moderate/no) 2 1 0

Total 28 17 8 2

Our work in CT focuses on benefit to anadromous fish and we wanted extra scoring criteria

*strong, existing partnership, funding, interest above is moderate or limiteddiscussions have begun, good potential, no contacts, discussions


Step 6- Once all information is available, score the dams (esp. “High Priority”).

First Dam? (yes/no)

Qty fish @ base(many/mod/few/ ?/ 0)

height of dam (<5/5-10/11-20/>20)

current passage (none lmtd full

Quality of u/s habitat(ex/g/f/poor)

potential u/s passage

Special conditions (yes/no)

Sense of opportunity*

Sense of urgency (urgent/moderate/no)

Total Score

BILLS POND DAM/Ed Bills needs scoring

High Priority 0 3 2 1 4 4 2 3 2 21

DEER LAKE DAM High Priority 0 1 2 2 4 4 0 0 0 13

GRANNIS POND DAM

u/s of Carpenters and Clark

High Priority 0 0 4 2 4 4 0 2 1 17

INDIAN LAKE DAM

STS with Rose Mill Pond - 2 dams below

High Priority 0 0 3 2 4 3 0 2 0 14

LILY POND DAM (Pond Lily)

High Priority 2 3 3 1 4 3 2 3 3 24


Dam name Comments Criteria CT Ranking #

NORTON PAPER COMPANY DAM alternatives analysis underway High Priority 22

BRUNSWICK MILL DAM #1 proposed for removal, DEEP, AR, NRCS High Priority 21

MOOSUP RIVER DAM #1 proposed for removal, DEEP, AR, NRCS High Priority 21

MOOSUP RIVER DAM #3 proposed for removal, DEEP, AR, NRCS High Priority 21

BRISTOL BRASS DAM planned for removal, CCRPA High Priority 20

CHAPMAN POND DAM fishway design funded, $ for construction anticipated High Priority 20

FLOCK PROCESS DAM City studying removal High Priority 20

SMITH GRISTMILL DAM FRWA working to install fishway, valued High Priority 20

BUCKLEY DAM to date, owner not interested - TNC contact w/ owner High Priority 19

KAMAN TAILRACE DAM proposed for removal, DEEP, AR, NRCS High Priority 19

PAGES MILLPOND DAM second dam on Farm River, TU project High Priority 19

PATAGUANSET LAKE DAM State-owned, natural lake, needs fishway High Priority 19


from 1,709 dams


to 69 dams, with an additional 68 (more info needed).

Narrowing the Focus Again…

SUMMARY• Prioritized lists of targeted dams have limitations, but are increasingly requested.• Some standardization is desirable although each program may have its own approach.• Easier for small geographic areas than larger ones.• For CT, this exercise reduced a list of 13,000 dams to 1,709 dams to 69 dams. • Forces agencies and organizations to confront the status of their knowledge (or lack thereof).• Can help to generate action plans – ‘to do’ lists. Especially the “More Information Needed”.• Provides opportunities to engage other groups to help conduct initial dam assessments.• Can help direct attention and resources of agencies and their partners.• Can help secure funds by demonstrating the high value and thorough assessment of targeted dams.

Documents

Prioritizing Dams at the State Level for Fish Passage Projects to Benefit Anadromous Fish