Grant Helps Pull Down Dam, Restore Natural Flow to the Farmington River

Submitted release

Removal of a dam on the Farmington River with the goal of restoring historic fish migrations has been accomplished with the aid of a grant of nearly $150,000 from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

The removal of the Spoonville Dam at the lower end of Tariffville Gorge, where the Farmington River forms the town boundary of East Granby and Bloomfield, was coordinated by the Farmington River Watershed Association, which received the grant to support a river management plan.

“This project is an important step forward in our effort to promote fish migration and we appreciate the Hartford Foundation’s vital support,” said Eileen Fielding, executive director of the Farmington River Watershed Association. “Removing the dam and revealing the bedrock falls beneath also make this dramatic gorge look even better as a scenic destination. It is also expected to enhance recreation and safety.” 

This 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.

The dam, which got its name from a flatware manufacturer that once operated nearby, was owned by the Connecticut Light and Power Co., which contributed substantial support to the project. Technical advice and permitting were provided by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Other support for the project came from the Ecosystem Management and Habitat Restoration Grants administered by the Connecticut DEEP and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.   

The $149,526 grant, from the James McA. Thomson Fund, R and C B Foundation Fund, A. Lindsay Thomson Fund and Howard Hunt Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation, also supported other aspects of the Farmington River/Salmon Brook Management Plan. These include an upgrade of a regional database for bacterial levels and water temperature, restoration of native plants on floodplains, establishment of a Wild and Scenic Land Trust Consortium to provide land trusts with resources and training, incorporation of the Farmington and Salmon Brook River corridors as part of the State of Connecticut Greenway system, and surveys to locate existing flora and fauna to update natural resource inventories for towns.

Built in 1899 on the site of a natural drop in the riverbed, the dam was originally a hydropower facility supplying electricity to Hartford. The hurricanes and flood of 1955 breached the dam, scattering massive dam fragments in the riverbed downstream.  The remnant of the main dam persisted for decades as a 128-foot long, 25-foot high obstacle in the channel, with a 45-foot gap at one end.

“The river poured through the gap in a steep, fast chute that stops American shad from proceeding further upstream to spawn,” said Fielding. “Migrating shad typically stall just below the chute.” Removing the dam spreads out and slows the flow and restores a more natural riverbed, allowing shad (and other species) to swim upstream more easily.

During July, a dam removal company based in Pennsylvania hammered the concrete structure into fragments that were trucked out of the river and recycled. 

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. When these are 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, following a study funded in part in 2008 with a $156,050 grant from the Hartford Foundation. 

The Farmington River Watershed Association is a private, nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1953 to preserve, protect and restore the Farmington River and its watershed in Connecticut and Massachusetts. It is at the forefront of restoration and conservation issues such as water quality, water allocation, recreational usage, open space, and wetland and floodplain protection. It works with federal, state and local governments, business and industry, and the people of the watershed’s 33 communities to protect the river and the region’s natural resources. For more information, visit www.frwa.org.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for the 29-town Greater Hartford region, dedicated to improving the quality of life for area residents. The Hartford Foundation receives gifts from thousands of generous individuals and families and in 2011 awarded grants of almost $29 million to a broad range of area nonprofit organizations. For more information about the Hartford Foundation, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.