Removing River Roadblocks

As paddlers and fishermen, swimmers and hikers, we experience the Ipswich River as a series of disconnected bodies of water, separated by dams that once served an important economic purpose, but no longer do.  Few paddlers get to explore the section between the upper and middle stretches of the Ipswich River because there is no public access around the South Middleton dam.  Yet more than one-fourth of the Ipswich River watershed is located upstream of the Dam.  This area includes Martin’s Pond and Silver Lake, coastal headwater ponds that were once major spawning and nursery areas for ocean-going alewife.

South Middleton Dam is the furthest upstream of three dams on the main branch of the river, and the only one without a fish ladder.  Removing this serious roadblock to river life, and especially to the historic alewife spawning runs, is a top priority for the Ipswich River Watershed Association (IRWA) and the State of Massachusetts.  Removal will benefit people as well as fish, by greatly improving recreational access to 56 miles of the river and its tributaries in the beautiful upper watershed.  Even more important, it will help restore natural river conditions in place of the half-mile-long artificial lake above the dam and open the upper river to a variety of fish species.

So it was no coincidence that IRWA held its annual meeting on September 26 at the Bostik, Inc., plant at the site of the South Middleton Dam.  Before the annual meeting began, the public was given a tour of the dam.  Brian Kelder, IRWA’s Restoration Manager, Dan Welch, Bostik’s national Environment and Sustainability Manager, and Hunt Durey, Acting Director of the Massachusetts Department of Ecological Restoration, all spoke about the dam removal project, in which their organizations are the principal partners.

The project partners are actively studying the engineering and ecological issues necessary to proceed with removing the dam, and searching for project funding.  The larger plan is to complement dam removal with other restoration projects in the watershed.  Dams aren’t the only impediment to human exploration and fish migration.  This year, IRWA has begun to survey the over 1,000 bridges and culverts in the watershed to identify those that represent the most serious environmental and recreational challenges.  As IRWA’s Executive Director, Wayne Castonguay, commented, “We would like the upper river to be as open to recreation and wildlife as the downstream stretches.”

Canoers and kayakers take note: the South Middleton dam is sited on the largest vertical drop in the entire watershed.  Once the dam is removed, this section of river will offer the fastest-flowing water on the Ipswich – not serious whitewater, but a fun stretch to paddle nonetheless.

Downstream, IRWA is actively managing preliminary studies at the Ipswich Mills Dam, investigating the feasibility of restoring the river through dam removal at that site as well.  That dam, furthest downstream, is sited on a natural waterfall where the river meets the ocean tides.  Its removal will help restore a naturally beautiful landscape, as well as a healthy habitat for a wide range of fish and wildlife.  As Wayne Castonguay also noted, though, these projects take 5 to 10 years to complete and they don’t affect most people’s daily lives.  “That’s why organizations like the Ipswich River Watershed Association exist: to take the long view and champion projects that are incredibly important, but challenging to undertake.”

Please contact IRWA at bkelder@ipswichriver.org for more information on dam removal and volunteer opportunities on this and other exciting projects. Visit our website,www.ipswichriver.org for more news and events!