Before the industrial revolution and the
exploitation of New England’s rivers for waterpower, the
Neponset supported a bountiful population of anadromous fish,
or fish that spawn
in freshwater (Neponset River), refuel in the Neponset River
Estuary, and spend most of their
lives in the ocean.
Following
the industrial revolution, decades were spent cleaning-up
man-made pollution.
Today, after years of vast improvements to the
water quality of the Neponset, we are able to set our sights
on restoring the aquatic habitat that once supported
well-known fish like the Blueback herring and the American
shad.
Along the Neponset River, the
most compelling objective to restore aquatic habitats has
been the restoration of anadromous fisheries blocked by the
Baker Dam, the T&H Dam and their predecessors, for so
many centuries. Even
though water-powered industry is long gone, the many dams
and diversions constructed hundreds of years ago
continue to have a tremendous impact on the health of our
River. Creating fish passage beyond the Baker and T&H Dams would open up 17
miles of anadromous fish habitat along the Neponset main
stem alone!
Under the leadership of the Department of Fish & Game [Department of Fisheries,
Wildlife and Environmental Law Enforcement (DFWELE)] with the
assistance of the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US
Geological Survey and the Department of Conservation &
Recreation [Metropolitan District Commission],
and with the support of the Executive Office of
Environmental Affairs, a process has been underway for
several years to examine habitat restoration options from a
technical, economic and environmental perspective.
The Neponset River Project has included several components,
starting with the stocking of Blueback herring and American
shad in the Neponset River during 1996, after the River was
determined suitable as anadromous fish habitat.
That same year, the Army Corps of Engineers initiated
a study of options for fish passage and
habitat restoration along the Neponset, focusing on the
T&H and Baker Dams.
A draft of their report was released in February of 2002.
The report included results indicating modest levels
of contaminated sediments behind the two dams, which led to
the next phase of the Neponset Project - an expanded
sediment survey. The
results of the sediment survey characterize the
quantity, quality and transport properties of sediments
behind both dams.
Another
component of the Neponset River Project has involved collecting historic photos of the
Neponset between the T&H and Baker Dams, in order to gain
an understanding of how the River has changed over the last
century. These photos will hopefully inform the decision-making process.
The last component, and perhaps the most critical, is involvement
of the public in the decision-making process relative
to evaluating the alternatives for fish passage.
One result of the Neponset Project is a series
of conceptual renderings of the fish passage
alternatives outlined in the Army Corps' feasibility study. These renderings include artistic drawings
and photo-simulations and are being discussed at a
series of public meetings.
