Business & Tech

Spoonville Dam to be Removed

Removal of the dam will help make Farmington River accessible to migratory fish.

 

Submitted release

This summer, the Farmington River Watershed Association (FRWA) will coordinate removal of the Spoonville Dam on the Farmington River. The dam, owned by CT Light and Power, will become history thanks to action taken by CL&P to ensure that the project goes forward.  The removal will help make the river and its tributaries accessible to migratory fish that have historically spawned there.  It is also expected to enhance whitewater paddling in Tariffville Gorge, a popular recreation area.

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The removal of the 128-foot long, 25-foot high concrete dam in East Granby and Bloomfield, Connecticut, is a collaborative effort between FRWA, CL&P, and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) with CL&P providing the capstone support that makes the project possible this summer.  Work is expected to begin in late June and be completed by the end of September.  Other support for the project came from a CT DEEP

Farmington River Enhancement Grant and a grant from the Long Island Sound Futures Fund, awarded through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

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“This project is an important step forward in our effort to promote fish migration and we appreciate CL&P’s vital support,” said Farmington River Watershed Association Executive Director Eileen Fielding. “Removing the dam and revealing the bedrock falls beneath it will also make this dramatic gorge look even better as a scenic destination.”

Built in 1899, the dam was originally part of a hydropower facility supplying electricity to Hartford before it was destroyed in the flood of 1955.  Today, the remaining structure creates a favored spot for fishing and kayaking, but it also impedes American shad from spawning further upstream.  Its removal is expected to enhance this fishing area and lengthen a popular whitewater run just upstream in Tariffville Gorge. 

“We’re pleased to be working with the Watershed Association and DEEP in removing this dam and restoring the historic biodiversity of this river,” said Sri Madhusudhan, CL&P’s Director of Environmental and Property Management.  “It is another example of our commitment to environmental stewardship of the resources we share.”

The project is the latest effort to restore historic fish migrations in the Farmington River watershed, where three centuries of dam construction has impeded migrations of Atlantic salmon, American shad, sea-run trout, American eel, alewife, and blueback herring.  Other fish passage projects in the planning stages include a rock ramp fishway designed for the Winchell Smith Dam in Farmington and the replacement of an aging fish ladder at Rainbow Dam in Windsor.  

Once completed, migratory fish will have easier passage through more than 20 miles of the Farmington River, as well as Salmon Brook and the Pequabuck River.  This portion of the Farmington River is under consideration for “Wild and Scenic River” designation by the U.S. Congress.


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