Dam Removals This Fall will Help Fish and Restore Rivers

Dam Removals This Fall will Help Fish and Restore Rivers

By Rachel Calabro, Narragansett Riverkeeper

Several dam removals are happening this fall across the Narragansett Bay region. The Bradford dam removal and natural fishway project is a continuation of a process to restore historic fish passage to the Pawcatuck River. This project comes on the heels of the removal of the White Rock dam last year, and previous projects at Shannock, Horseshoe Falls and Kenyon Mill. All together these projects are helping fish to access the state’s largest natural body of fresh water, Worden’s Pond.

Save The Bay has assisted with several dam removal projects in the Taunton River watershed, including on the Mill River in Taunton where two dams have already been removed. The third and final dam on this section of river will be coming out this fall. This dam at the former Reed and Barton silver factory is the key to finally getting fish access to Lake Sabbatia and the Canoe River. Other dams being removed this fall are the Cotton Gin Dam on the Satucket River in East Bridgewater, and the Barstowe’s Pond dam on the Cotley River in East Taunton.

Back here in Rhode Island, Save The Bay has been working on a project in North Kingstown to remove the Shady Lea Mill dam. This dam is upstream from one of the state’s largest fish runs at the Gilbert Stuart Museum. This dam removal will restore a sediment filled impoundment to a natural stream, allowing fish and other wildlife to access this new habitat. The project started last week with the removal of a section of the dam, allowing the impoundment to drain. Crews will be back in July to fully remove the dam after a channel has formed in the impoundment and sediment is stable.

Part of the funding for these dam removal projects has come through the Hurricane Sandy relief fund within the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Other funding for the Shady Lea dam removal came through NOAA and the Rhode Island Coastal Habitat Trust Fund.

Microplastics in our Waters

Microplastics in our Waters | Riverkeeper Blog

By Rachel Calabro, Save The Bay Riverkeeper

Photo: http://www.bearder.eu/microplastics

Microplastics are bits of plastic debris that are less than 5 mm in size. They are prevalent in ocean waters and on beaches where they pose a risk to marine life. Microplastics can come from break-up of large plastic that ends up in the ocean, or they can be microbeads or pellets that are manufactured. Synthetic fibers that either wash into the ocean or come from ropes and nets are also counted. These synthetic fibers often come from our polyester fleece clothing and can enter the ocean through the waste stream. Plastic microbeads first started showing up in personal care products more than 50 years ago. Their use increased until 2015, when President Obama signed the Microbead-Free Waters Act. This act calls for the phase-out of microbeads in personal care products such as toothpaste and soaps.

According to an article in the Journal of Science, 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year. As this plastic breaks down over time, it adds to the prevalence of tiny bits of plastic that can be ingested by marine organisms. Studies are now being done on what this plastic does to animals in terms of feeding changes, reproduction and accumulation of toxins or as a vector for pathogens. Other studies are looking at how chemicals such as flame retardants leach out of plastics or how other chemicals stick to plastics. Different types of plastics react differently when they break down or when they are subjected to digestive juices in animals. Many animals tend to eat these particles because they are covered in algae. Studies are also being done to understand the types of algae that live on microplastics.

If fish are ingesting these particles, we are too. They even show up in sea salt made from evaporated ocean water. Save The Bay is interested in how much microplastic is in the waters of Narragansett Bay. In order to learn more, we are teaming up with Clean Water Action to trawl the Bay this summer to find out how much we can collect and where in the Bay it is found. We will take that information and share it with policymakers and the public to find ways to stop plastic from entering the Bay. You can make a difference by using less plastic and making sure that what you do use gets recycled.

Dammed Wildlife

Dammed Wildlife

The Kickemuit River Fish Ladder was built on the
Warren Reservoir to give migrating river
herring access to the pond.

By Rachel Calabro, Save The Bay Riverkeeper

Imagine you are a river fish. To thrive in your environment, you have a few requirements. Cool water with enough oxygen will keep you alert and active. Insects that wash downstream or emerge from the stream bottom will keep you fed. Sand and gravel in which to lay your eggs and plenty of places to hide from predators are also keys to survival. When rivers function properly, all these things are in place to support a wide diversity of fish and insects.

But when environmental stresses, such as low water levels or warm water, are present, fish need places to go for refuge. Just like on a hot sunny day you might seek the shade of a tree, fish seek out cold spots in deep pools and under bits of wood in the stream. Fish also need to find mates to increase their genetic diversity and species health. A healthy population of fish will be able to migrate up and downstream and into tributary streams to mix and mingle with others of their species and to find new habitat. These are all parts of a healthy stream ecosystem.

An historic photo of Pawtuxet Bridge and
falls before the dam was removed in 2011. 

Dams, culverts and other physical changes to a stream can cause harm not only to the species living there, but also to the quality of the water and habitat for other wildlife and surrounding ecosystems. Dams change the dynamics of a stream by slowing the water, allowing fine sediment to deposit rather than flow downstream, and changing both temperature and nutrients in the water. Warm water holds less oxygen. Gravels are covered over by fine silts and sands. In essence, a dam turns a river into a pond. Fish that thrive in ponds move in to the newly created habitat, cutting off the upstream habitat from the fish living in the river below. As a result, genetic diversity suffers, and less food comes downstream. The community of river fish changes as well.

Humans have caused many changes to our surrounding environment, but few of our changes to streams and rivers have had as much consequence as dams. Although beavers have made dams for thousands of years, altering the landscape in many ways, these dams are temporary and an important part of creating a constantly changing set of diverse wetland systems. Our wildlife adapt and thrive with these changes. Most of our man-made dams no longer serve their original purpose of providing power for mills. They have become icons of industrial and community heritage with lasting negative effects on river and stream ecosystems.

The Hopewell Mills dam was removed in 2012 to restore the
Mill River in Taunton, Massachusetts. Three dams on
this river are being removed.

Efforts to restore migrating fish populations with fish ladders have allowed us to leave the dams and preserve their legacy while trying to accommodate some lost river function. But these aging structures are becoming a hazard for our communities as they reach the end of their functional lives, threatening either to release years of sediment that has accumulated behind them or flooding downstream towns and structures when they fail.

Climate change is adding to the challenge of managing undersized and outdated dams. Unpredictability in our weather and increasing severity of both droughts and floods will require our ecosystems to be more resilient and our wildlife to be more adaptive. This means allowing for more migration, more chances to find refuge, and more diversity in habitat. Mammals and birds can migrate across the landscape and can move in response to shifts in temperature. Fish can migrate only as far as they can swim, and for many, that means as far as the next dam upstream. We are seeing major shifts in ocean fish related to changing ocean temperatures, so we expect populations of freshwater fish to change as well.

The Hopewell Mills dam was removed in 2012 to
restore the Mill River in Taunton, Massachusetts.
Three dams on this river are being removed.

Thanks to the Industrial Revolution, New England has a larger density of small dams than any other place in the country. More than 600 dams still stand in Rhode Island, more than 3,000 in Massachusetts, and more than 6,000 in Connecticut. Many of these dams are over 200 years old. Working with various local partners, as well as partners in state and federal government, Save The Bay supports dam removal projects that aim to create resilient streams with diverse habitats.

Dam removal has really gathered steam in Massachusetts, where more than 50 dams have been removed in the last 15 years. The Commonwealth has an entire Division of Ecological Restoration that works not only on dams, but on culverts, stream flow and wetland restoration. The state has made a concerted effort to support these projects through capitol authorizations and grant programs.

Rhode Island also has a small habitat restoration fund and supports river restoration projects through state bond referenda, but no dedicated program for riverine habitat restoration exists in state government. Here, local watershed councils and others must initiate fundraising and manage projects. Save The Bay has assisted on several dam removal projects in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, providing technical, fundraising and outreach support. These projects require multiple partners, from the federal government to local volunteers, and take many years to complete.

Of the 496 animal species federally listed as threatened or endangered, nearly half are freshwater species that have found themselves living in small habitat “islands” due to the cumulative effects of dams, roads and development. This makes them extremely vulnerable to one-time events such as last year’s drought, which dried up small streams in the Taunton watershed and killed many localized populations of rare freshwater mussels.

Diadromous fish—those that migrate between fresh and salt water, like herring, shad, sturgeon, smelt and eels—have all suffered population declines to less than five percent of historic levels, and many rivers lost these species completely. In addition, only about five percent of historic brook trout populations remain and are extremely vulnerable to temperature stress. We have seen many gains in water quality in the last few decades, but we still must remain vigilant in the protection of our most vulnerable freshwater species. The Narragansett Bay watershed depends on us.

Rattlesnake Brook Dam Removed in Freetown

The Taunton River watershed is becoming more fish friendly as another dam is removed in an effort to increase habitat. The Rattlesnake Brook Dam, owned by the Fall River water department, was recently removed to help fish access habitats cut off for almost 200 years. The dam had partially failed and was unsafe in its former condition. Rattlesnake Brook is part of the Assonet River watershed, which drains into the Taunton River just north of Fall River. Assonet Bay has some of the healthiest salt marshes in the Narragansett Bay watershed and is home to threatened diamondback terrapins.

Dam removal is becoming commonplace in Massachusetts as a way to eliminate flooding risk and to restore free flowing rivers. This project is the 44^th dam removal to take place in the state, and already the total has reached to over 50. Three more dam removal projects are planned for next year in the Taunton River watershed, and other dams are in study. The Taunton River was designated as a Wild & Scenic River in part because of its large and healthy fish run. The migratory river herring run is the largest in the state and will increase as other rivers are opened up for spawning. American eel, white perch and shad are also benefitting from these projects.

Save The Bay has been supporting these projects as a partner for many years. We provide outreach and community support to get projects started, and technical support as they move through design. Habitat restoration in the Taunton River watershed is one of our long term strategic goals. Rivers that are free flowing and connected are better able to support wildlife and are more resilient to changes in climate. We look forward to supporting more projects in the coming years.

Getting out Ahead of Invasive Species

This summer, Save The Bay has been working with local residents in Rehoboth, Massachusetts to remove invasive water chestnut from Shad Factory Pond. Water Chestnut is an annual plant that is rooted in the pond bottom and has floating leaves and small white flowers. Large black nuts form under the surface and have very sharp barbs that can stick to animals and can float downstream. The nuts stay viable in the sediment for up to 12 years, and each nut can produce 10-15 plants, so you can see how hard it is to eliminate this plant once it gets established in a waterbody.

Thick mats of floating water chestnut leaves can take over in ponds and slow moving rivers by shading out other plants and reducing oxygen in the water. It spreads rapidly and displaces native species. The most common method for removal is to hand-pull the plants in mid-summer before the nuts fall. This hand-pulling is hard work, but over several years can effectively limit the spread of the plant. When the problem gets too big for volunteers, mechanical harvesters are often used to pull plants on a large scale.

Water Chestnut is of particular concern on Shad Factory Pond because the Palmer River is an important fish run for herring and shad. Save The Bay is beginning a study this summer in partnership with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries to study spawning habitat in the pond. We are looking at dissolved oxygen, water clarity, pH, nutrients and spawning substrate to see if there is enough suitable habitat for fish. In addition to the water chestnut, other invasive plants including milfoil and fanwort along with native pond lilies and other submerged plants are limiting the available oxygen and harming spawning substrate.

Central Pond in East Providence, part of the Ten Mile River, also has a large infestation of water chestnut. This is of concern because fish passage was recently restored to this system as well. Harmful algae blooms have also been an issue on this pond, and invasive species can make the problem worse. As we try to re-introduce fish to river systems around the Bay, we also need to be concerned with what they will find when they arrive.

Reporting Pollution

As Save The Bay’s Riverkeeper, I respond to issues out on the rivers and Bay that are brought to our attention by the public.. People are often concerned when they see or smell something that isn’t right. Many times, what they are seeing is natural, but can be a result of excess seaweed, algae or plant growth. While the Bay looks beautiful, our rivers are bringing in nutrients and other pollution from the upper watershed that washes off the land. This invisible pollution can feed the plant growth and cause algae blooms. This is what I found yesterday when I went to Festival Pier in Pawtucket. Fishermen there thought they were seeing sewage, when what they were actually seeing was decomposing sea lettuce and other brown algae. These algae had blown up the Bay with the afternoon sea breeze and accumulated along the pier. Still, we’re grateful to have eyes and ears out there on the water, alerting us to possible problems.

When trying to decide if something is a natural occurrence or something to worry about, look for the the following clues: 

Sewage: Be on the lookout for milky or grey colored water that contains bits of toilet paper or other floating material. It will also have a strong sewage odor.

Foam: Natural foam often accumulates on rivers below dams or in other areas where water is moving swiftly. It can catch in tree snags and will usually be a light brown or yellow color from the accumulation of pollen and dust. It will fall apart and dissolve when shaken with a stick. Foam caused by pollution from soap will be white and fluffy and will come back together if it is touched. 

Sheen: If you see rainbow sheen on the surface of the water, check it with a stick as well. In wetlands or other areas of stagnant water, bacterial breakdown of organic matter will cause a shiny film on the surface. If it breaks up when touched, it is natural. Oil sheen from pollution is generally very light and will hold together when touched. It will also have a strong oily odor. Oil sheen tends to spread out on the surface of the water. 

Red or Orange Sediment: If you see a bright orange film on the bottom of a creek or wetland, this is most likely due to iron oxide. This is caused by low oxygen environments in wetlands and groundwater where iron dissolves in the water. When this water exits the ground or wetland and oxygen is reintroduced, the iron comes out of solution and settles on the bottom. 

If you do see something that is concerning, try to send us a photo so that we can help diagnose the problem. Send us an address so we can check on Google Earth, and potentially go out to see the problem. You can reach Save The Bay at 272-3540 and savebay@savebay.org. For emergencies, call DEM’s 24-hour response number at 401-222-3070. To report a sewage spill to the Narragansett Bay Commission, dial their main line at 401-461-6540 and press 9.

Fish Passage is More Than Just Dams

We all drive across streams and rivers every day without much thought. Sometimes we look over the edge of a bridge to see the river running underneath. Sometimes, we don’t even know that a stream is running by underneath the road. Smaller streams tend to run through culverts, either round pipes or square cement boxes under the road. Unlike bridges, these culverts often constrict the stream and cause it to flow through a very narrow opening. 

Narrow culverts and pipes do not make good passage for the fish and other wildlife that need to use streams and rivers as corridors. Fish need to move up and down stream to mate, eat and find refuge. Turtles, frogs and salamanders do too, as do mammals like river otters and raccoons. When they are forced to go up and over the road, small wildlife can be killed by traffic. 

When the openings under roads are too narrow, flooding can happen and roads can wash out during storms. Many times road repairs are made and the culverts are replaced at the same size when they should in fact be bigger. Climate change is also causing larger storm events and more rain that swells streams and causes road flooding. Public works departments need to be aware of undersized culverts where they are causing harm to wildlife and public safety.

This summer, Save The Bay habitat interns are assisting staff with evaluating culverts and bridges in the Palmer and Kickemuit Rivers as part of our larger effort to study fish passage and habitat quality in these Upper Bay watersheds. We are on the lookout for areas where fish could get trapped or not be able to swim through a culvert. We are also helping to train new surveyors from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and local conservation commissions. 

So far, we have found a mix of different culverts from plastic pipes to cement boxes and stone bridges. None of these structures completely meet the standard of having dry passage or for the crossing to span both the stream and the river banks. In our car centered culture, it is sometimes a good learning experience to think of yourself as a fish or a turtle and to figure out how you would navigate your world with a human imprint.

Getting to Know your Local Wild & Scenic Rivers

The Taunton River is the only major coastal river in our region that has no dams or obstructions over its entire length. In this estuary, the tide rises and falls for over 18 miles of the river’s length making it home to rare plants and habitats that exist in this freshwater tidal environment. The watershed is one of the most diverse and intact coastal ecosystems in Southern New England. Because of its scenic beauty and important habitats, the Taunton River was designated by Congress as a Partnership Wild & Scenic River in 2009.

The National Park Service started the Partnership Wild & Scenic Rivers program as a way to manage special rivers that are not owned by the federal government. These rivers are designated for their scenic, historic and recreational values, as well as important natural elements such as biodiversity, fisheries, and unique geologic features. These outstandingly remarkable values are regionally significant and make these rivers a high priority for protection. The rivers are managed jointly by the National Park Service and a local stewardship council made up of representatives from the local communities. There are currently 13 designated rivers in eight states covering more than 700 river miles.

At the end of 2014, a bill was passed in Congress to study the rivers in the Wood-Pawcatuck River watershed for potential designation. Before rivers are designated, they go through a three year study period where a committee is formed to review and identify outstandingly remarkable values. The Wood-Pawcatuck study committee began meeting in November, 2015 and will be working to identify important resources, both natural and cultural, throughout the watershed. The Wood-Pawcatuck watershed also includes the Beaver, Queen and Chipuxet Rivers in Rhode Island and the Shunnock and Green Falls Rivers in Connecticut.

The Wood-Pawcatuck River watershed is home to the largest natural fresh water lake in Rhode Island, as well as large areas of swamps and bogs that were formed as part of the glacial terrain of Southern New England. The study committee will be learning about the rare species of fish, plants and birds that are present in the watershed, and about opportunities to preserve and restore important natural habitats.

Since its designation in 2009, the Taunton River Stewardship Council has been working throughout the watershed to increase recreational opportunities, protect riverfront land, and restore habitats. Several dam removal projects have been completed or are under way, and a new state park has been created. The Taunton River Pathways project has been developed to highlight both walking, biking and canoe trails. This summer will be a great time to get out and explore both of these local natural treasures and experience what it means to be Wild & Scenic.

Paris Climate Talks: What does it mean for the Bay

For the past two weeks, negotiators from across the globe have convened in Paris for the 21^st United Nations conference on climate change. One hundred eighty six countries have come with ambitious pledges to limit greenhouse gas emissions. While past conferences have attempted to negotiate a treaty that would keep warming to 2 degrees Celsius, over 100 countries have now pushed to try and keep warming to 1.5 degrees.

It is unclear if this goal is possible given the amount of carbon we have already added to the atmosphere and the voluntary pledges being offered so far. Our current path including these pledges sets us up for 5 degrees, and we have already passed the 1 degree mark. Meeting a goal of only half a degree more of warming would require an unprecedented shift to a decarbonized economy across the world and would also require removing large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Because of the urgency, the final treaty will likely have specific requirements to “ratchet up” the promises from each country. The goal is that by the year 2030, all countries would be on a common pace to revise these promises every five years.

Much of the focus at the conference has been on lowering the demand for fossil fuel and using technology to limit emissions while switching to renewable energy. This directly ignores the scientific consensus that 80% of known fossil fuel reserves must say in the ground for us to remain below 2 degrees of warming. Keeping it in the ground is not being discussed at this point, and here at home, the United States promotes and subsidizes fossil fuel development while trying to limit carbon emissions – a very difficult task.

In Paris, and here at home, you will hear two major topics of discussion when it comes to climate change: mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation includes activities that will reduce or prevent greenhouse gas emissions, such as switching to renewable energy or preventing deforestation. Adaptation includes activities that reduce harm from the effects of climate change, such as removing infrastructure from flood prone areas, planting trees and treating stormwater.

Much of Save The Bay’s work in habitat restoration falls under adaptation. We are restoring salt marshes so that they provide habitat value for as long as they can be sustained. We are supporting dam removal as a way to connect rivers so that fish can migrate. We are helping cities and towns to move flooded infrastructure and treat stormwater. We also support mitigation by using solar panels at the Bay Center and advocating for renewable energy. On Tuesday, the RI Governor signed an executive order that will direct state agencies to get 100% of their energy use from renewable sources by 2025. It also supports zero emission vehicles, public transit and green buildings. 

There is a third piece of the puzzle, however, and that deals with loss and damage.

The problem, of course, is that no matter what we do in the coming years, some amount of sea level rise and temperature rise are already “baked in” and this will bring significant loss and damage to everyone on the planet to varying degrees. Already, Pacific Island nations are faced with abandoning areas that are uninhabitable, and droughts and floods are forcing people off their land.

This loss and damage is a bone of contention at the talks because poor countries feel that wealthy developed nations should shoulder the burden for making payments to them as restitution for causing much of the problem. Beyond money, assistance would include providing these countries with the capacity to cope and welcoming refugees from climate change disaster zones.

The sad reality is that so much damage has already been done we are beyond talking about mitigation and adaptation and are realizing that we could soon be dealing with a vast humanitarian crisis. The scale of that crisis depends on the strength of this and future climate agreements and how quickly they are acted upon by all the countries of the world.

Celebrating one year of gas free driving during Drive Electric Week

Last summer, I interviewed Save The Bay’s Facilities Manager about his decision to lease a Chevy Volt. The Volt is an electric drive vehicle with a gasoline engine for extended range. The all electric range is about 40 miles, after which a gasoline engine takes over. This is slightly different from a hybrid engine which switches back and forth from gasoline power to electric power during driving. After doing some research of my own, I decided last September to lease an all-electric Nissan Leaf, and go gasoline free. I like the simplicity of having one engine and virtually no maintenance other than tires and brakes.

Driving an all-electric car does take some planning ahead, and is best for city driving. The range varies widely depending on outside temperature and driving conditions. On good days, the range can top 90 miles with moderate driving speeds, but winter weather and use of the heat lowers the range under 80 miles. The car starts to warn you when running with under 20% of the battery remaining, so I generally take 20 miles off my effective range when planning my driving. With a battery instead of a gas tank, I feel like there is a direct feedback and connection to my own energy consumption and driving habits.

Rhode Island Supports Electric Vehicles

In 2013, Rhode Island partnered with National Grid to install 50 public charging stations through the ChargePoint Network. These stations are free to network members for the first four years while owners pay for the electricity. After four years, owners of the stations can decide to keep them free or begin using a fee based system. The stations are distributed throughout the state and are located at the state beaches, malls and restaurants such as Cilantro Grill and Chili’s, and at other locations such as Rhode Island College and Bryant University.

But what About the Electricity?

If you are interested in a direct comparison of energy consumption and costs for an electric car and a gasoline car, here are some of the things I have learned. One gallon of gasoline has the equivalent amount of energy as 34 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity. Our second car, the Honda Fit, gets about 34 miles/gallon or about 1 mile per kWh. My Leaf diagnostics tell me that I average about 4.6 miles per kWh, or the equivalent of about 156 miles per gallon. The 2015 Nissan Leaf advertises an average miles per gallon equivalent of 114 miles, so either I am very efficient or my car is not very accurate.

The 2015 Nissan Leaf battery holds 24 kWh of energy. This means that a full charge at 16 cents per kWh costs about $3.84. I have been using about 200 kWh at home every month, for a cost of about $32. It also means that at an average of 4.6 miles per kWh, I should have a range of 110 miles, which is kind of pushing it. I have heard that the diagnostics are not very accurate, and that is something being worked on. 

To me, all those numbers mean that my electric car is almost five times more efficient than my gasoline car, regardless of the fuel type. Because of regenerative braking technology, the brake pads last up to three years longer. Fewer fluids and oils means less contribution to stormwater pollution. No exhaust means I am not contributing to low level ozone pollution, the major cause of air quality alert days in the heat of the summer. In addition, electric vehicles emit only 19.8% of the total heat emitted by conventional vehicles per mile, reducing the heat island effect in cities.

What About other Sources of Pollution?

Electric vehicles do create more pollution during the manufacturing process, and they do require electricity to be generated somewhere, using some type of energy source. The best scenario would be to plug in to a solar panel array or to purchase green energy through your electric company. Not all parts of the country are set up to distribute electricity from clean sources of fuel. The east and west coasts, however, happen to be areas where the electricity mix is steadily becoming more and more renewable.

According to the Sierra Club, in Massachusetts EVs have about 70% lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventional cars. If you are interested in seeing the energy mix going into New England’s electricity generation in real-time, check out this site from ISO New England (our energy grid operator).

The Future of Electric Vehicles

In October 2013, eight states which include Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Washington and California, signed a pledge to get 3.3 million EVs on the road by 2025. I am fairly confident that we will soon reach a tipping point and this goal will be easily surpassed. When the 2018 models start rolling out, we will see range go up over the 200 mile mark and electric cars will be mainstream. Electric options are available from most major car companies already.

The problem with being an early adopter, however, is that depreciation is relatively high, given that the technology is getting so much better with each new car model. This does provide some opportunities, however, if you are looking to get into the electric car game and save a bunch of money. I am very happy with my choice and am looking forward to seeing what happens. I am already fighting for space at the public charging stations that I use, so I know there is a growing crowd out there with me. 

Omega Pond Fish Ladder opens up the Ten Mile River

After several delays and technical challenges, the Omega Pond fish ladder at the mouth of the Ten Mile River was finally opened just in time for this year's spring fish run. Herring were waiting at the dam when the ladder was opened, and fish were seen making their way to Hunt's Mill where an annual fish count is done by volunteers.

Save The Bay's connection to this project began in 1996, when  Paul Bettencourt took Wenley Ferguson on a tour of the ponds where he once fished for herring, now long since filled in. They stopped at the Omega Pond dam, where Paul shared his vision of restoring the fish run. Dick Quinn, an engineer with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, completed a conceptual design for three fish ladders, and the project began in 2001 with an Army Corps of Engineers feasibility study. The project was a collaboration between many state, federal and local partners including Save The Bay, the CRMC, DEM, the City of East Providence and the Ten Mile River Watershed Council.

About 65% percent of the funding for the project was provided by federal agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). This funding includes about $5 million from the Army Corps of Engineers. 

Now that three fish ladders are in place, herring have three river miles and about 340 acres of habitat in which to spawn. They can now make their way to the Massachusetts state line, where they find the next dam at the Pawtucket Country Club. This dam is part of the Ten Mile River Reservation and is owned by RI DEM. The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has been supporting this project and provided fish from the Nemasket River herring run in Middleboro. These fish were stocked into the upper Ten Mile River to help maintain the run. The run was also maintained by a group of fishermen who for over ten years scooped returning herring and stocked them into the river under cover of darkness. These scooping events became celebrations as more and more fish returned and several thousand fish were helped over Omega Pond dam. 

Save The Bay will continue to work on this project and will advocate for continued river restoration. Water quality improvements are still desperately needed and the upper Turner Reservoir and Central Ponds often experience blooms of toxic blue-green algae. The flow in the Ten Mile River, like many of the Bay's small tributaries, is dominated by wastewater effluent. The Attleboro treatment plant is under strict new permit limits, but nutrient pollution in stormwater and from birds and wildlife is still contaminating the river. Opening up the fish passage is only part of the story. True habitat restoration will take work on many fronts including water quality and in stream habitat. We can now begin a dialogue with Massachusetts about additional restoration opportunities over the border, and the work is just beginning!

Responding to Our Changing Shorelines

This week, the habitat restoration team has been at work on projects that will help create resilient shorelines along the Bay. In Warwick, we have been removing pavement at the ends of roads where they dead-end on the shoreline. Many of these roads were damaged during recent storms, or are under water at very high tides. The pavement was located in areas that would otherwise be wetland, and they provide important public access points to the shoreline. We have been able to preserve the public access paths while creating an area for stormwater to infiltrate and for plants to grow. See this article in the Warwick Beacon.

These projects are part of a larger effort for Save The Bay and the Coastal Resources Management Council to adapt to rising sea levels and coastal flooding. As our shorelines retreat, removing infrastructure from harm's way is an important way to save money and protect the public. We are also helping salt marsh to remain and transition to new areas.

Another project has been taking place at King's Park in Newport. This pubic beach has also been eroding as sea level rises, and the park often floods during high tides and storms. Natural erosion control is being created with sand filled coconut fiber envelopes that protect the shoreline. This low-lying area of Newport, near Wellington Avenue often floods when water backs up through the storm drains and into the neighborhoods. This article in Newport This Week helps to explain the project.

Driving Electric

A major shift in personal transportation is coming with the wide availability of electric cars and the promise of the development of autonomous vehicles. Are electric cars only for “early adopters”, or should we all be rushing out to the dealer for test drive? Have you considered buying or leasing an electric car? I am still driving a more than 10-year-old Subaru and am dreaming of something a little more eco-friendly. I would love to go electric, but like many people, I have a number of questions about whether this would be a viable choice for me. I decided to ask Save The Bay’s Facilities Manager, Mike Russo, about his decision to lease a Chevy Volt.

Q: So Mike, why did you choose the Chevy Volt?

A: The Volt is American/Detroit made, and after the recent market collapse, it seemed like a good time to help GM advance the ball. GM has thought out the technology and the Volt was definitely ready for prime time.  (Note: the Volt is powered by an electric motor that is always operating on electrical energy.  Once the battery has exhausted, the power to move the vehicle forward comes from a gasoline engine that generates the electricity to power the motor. This feature had enormous appeal from a practical/engineering perspective). Also, it felt like a good time to be as petroleum-independent as possible, and the Volt's battery "range" of + 40 miles fit my commute so well gas stations are something that are now easy to avoid. 

Q. Did the fact that the Volt has a range extending engine help with this decision? Do you think you could get what you need from a car that was only electric with no back-up?

A. Without many convenient charging stations in RI, at this point in time a range-extending motor/engine combo is critical.  Ultimately, the range of the Volt's lithium batteries and the overall technology will exceed what we are looking at today. Driving a vehicle that seamlessly gets 40 MPG after it goes beyond its electric range makes a lot of sense, and I am willing to be a bit of a guinea pig.

Q. Did you notice a change in your electric range in the very cold weather?

A. During the winter months, the Volt's display, when fully charged, says the vehicle's range is 38 to 40 miles.  That is down considerably from the summer range of + 48 miles. One thing that doesn’t normally come up in conversion is the fact that, in winter conditions, you see the "engine running due to temperature" message come up on the display.  That is on for 20 to 30 seconds every few miles and I presume the Volt's engine is running to keep the vehicle's lithium batteries "happy."  

 

Q. Is the low cost of operating the car (electricity/vs. gas) a good incentive? Have you ever used a public charging station?

 A. I am new to this type of driving and am still getting used to it.  My normal gas mileage is between 115 MPG (winter) and more than 150 (summer).  Overnight, a normal "full" charge costs approximately $1.00.  That is the cost of recharging the battery that was drawn down about 30 "miles" using only the Volt's electric motor. There are many ChargePoint stations out there, but not that many in RI and I have yet to make use of one. 

Q. What are your favorite things about driving an electric car, and would you recommend it to our members, supporters, and readers of the blog?

A. Hands down, the best part is being able to ignore gas stations. The Volt took some getting used to, but I am all in now. Obviously, there is no "free lunch" here. If we want to move ourselves around, trade-offs are required. The concept of all those individual internal combustion engines, spewing who knows what into the environment, does freak me out a bit.  Not being a part of that is my preference. 

Recommendation-wise, the more the merrier!  If an electric vehicle fits someone's driving "style," they need to find one they can live with for three years. Consider leasing this kind of progressive technology and give it a go. Right now I am generating my own set of numbers and will let them tell me what I can/want to do when this transportation "experiment" is over.  But if you ask me now, my initial impression of this technology is positive as heck and I am looking forward what the future holds!     

Thanks, Mike for sharing your thoughts! I may just take a harder look at this new technology.

One Fish, Two Fish...

Spring has arrived, even if it doesn't feel like it. Increased stream flow and warmer water are triggers for migrating fish that it is time to mate. When they feel the urge, they come back to their home rivers to lay and fertilize their eggs. Right on cue, a river herring was seen on Buckeye Brook in Warwick near the first day of spring. The numbers of river herring returning to Narragansett Bay are extremely low when compared with recent history, as I discussed in my last blog post. While we try to reverse the trend, volunteer fish counts are an important way to keep an accurate estimate of the population size of local fish runs.

Groups of volunteers will be out again this spring to count herring at several locations around Rhode Island. Volunteers spend 10 minutes at a site counting the number of fish that pass upstream. The three largest runs that are monitored by RI DEM are Gilbert Stuart Mill in North Kingstown, Nonquit Pond in Tiverton, and Buckeye Brook in Warwick. At Gilbert Stuart and Nonquit, electronic counters at fish ladders assist DEM in addition to visual counts. Buckeye Brook is one of the few places in the Narragansett Bay watershed where migrating fish are unimpeded by a dam and can swim freely to their spawning area in Warwick Pond. At Buckeye Brook, fish are counted by volunteers at a culvert utilizing a white board that is placed on the stream bed to help see the swimming fish. Last year's count revealed that an estimated 45,244 fish returned to the river, while in 2012, the count was closer to 90,000.

The last several years have brought newly opened fish runs in to focus as well. New fish ladders and a dam removal on the Woonasquatucket River have opened up an historic fish run that will hopefully grow through the years. Counts will begin April 1st at both Rising Sun Mill and Riverside Park in Providence. The Ten Mile River Watershed Alliance will be conducting fish counts at Hunts Mill on the Ten Mile River.

A newly completed fishway project at Kenyon Mill will allow fish access to the entire reach of the Pawcatuck River up to Worden's Pond, and the removal of the Pawtuxet Falls Dam in 2010 has opened up the first seven miles of the Pawcatuck River in Warwick and Cranston. While the volunteers are out mostly counting river herring, several other species migrate to our rivers in the spring including American shad, sea lamprey, white perch, and American eel, which arrive in their juvenile stage to live their adult lives in fresh water.

A video monitoring system will be in use again this year on the Mill River in Taunton to help the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries study recovery of that system. Many species of fish were seen last year including those that migrate within the river, like yellow perch and brook trout. With so many restoration success stories, this is a perfect time to learn more about the sometimes mysterious life cycles of these important fish species.

Remembering Not to Forget

How did we lose sight of the riches our streams and rivers once provided?  Accounts from early European settlers tell of unimaginable numbers of fish filling the rivers during spring spawning runs. There were so many fish that thousands could be caught in a day, and hundreds were placed in fields as fertilizer. Eels were in such large abundance that they were used for everything from horsewhips to hair oil. It’s been estimated that eels once made up one-fourth of all fish biomass in rivers on the Atlantic coast.

In his book, RunningSilver, John Waldman talks of the shifting baselines syndrome where we begin a pattern of forgetting that over the generations shifts our understanding of the true nature of these systems. You can say the same about global warming. As each generation becomes more and more used to a world without snow, we will forget that outdoor ice skating was oncecommonplace in Rhode Island and will believe that ice on Narragansett Bay is an“extraordinary” occurrence.

In the beginning, fish runs were preserved with bypass channels as mills were built, and farmers would come and take dams down by force if necessary. A 1735 Massachusetts law did not allow dams on rivers that would serve as a barrier to fish. This law was generally ignored and as rivers were taken over by human machinery, many mill owners just waited until the fish runs became smaller and smaller to the point where people forgot. They then claimed that fish had never run in the river, and it made no economic sense to restore them. A 1920 state inventory of river herring found that the Mill River in Taunton was so badly polluted by manufacturing waste that restoration of the fishery would be “impossible”.

We began to forget, but the fish did not. The fish persisted and even in the beginning of this century runs of river herring on the Taunton River remained above two million fish. Today, we have removed some obstacles and have restored water quality to a degree, but the fish are not returning. We all speculate on the reasons, and they are many.

Slowly, our public resources were taken over by private interests and now restoration must be done with public money. Many private dam owners are willing to take down their unwanted dams, but not without the help of federal and state agencies who pay most if not all of the cost. Because fish passage restoration is a goal of the government, we are willing to see this happen. State agencies have the duty to protect the public, so they inspect private dams, rather than require owners to do it themselves. How did we get here, and why do we allow these attitudes to persist? It certainly is the tragedy of the commons, but we should not leave it at that. We should reevaluate what a shared resource means for all people and all species, and not forget what we once had, even if we can’t go back in time.

Going Solar

Recently, my husband and I decided to install a solar thermal hot water system at our house in Providence. Despite the loss of a state tax credit, we went ahead with a grant from the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation’s Renewable Energy Fund for a similar 25% off the cost of the system. We will also receive a federal tax rebate of 30% off the rest. In order to qualify for the grant program, we needed to have done an energy audit through National Grid. We had done the audit last year, and had already installed additional attic insulation through that program. For anyone who has not gone through an energy audit, it is well worth the effort. We were able to cover the cost of insulating our attic and sealing our entry doors.

This year’s Renewable Energy Fund grant program was for small scale solar projects, and was given to solar installers and community development groups that bundled individual projects. Eight separate groups were awarded funding for 89 residential projects. Our project was done by Island Solar and was bundled with 16 others. Residential solar is gaining in popularity across the country, and incentives are helping increase that growth. With solar panel prices falling and financing available through leases and other agreements, the economics are favoring these small scale projects. Solar in general is proving to be easier to permit and install than wind, and in Massachusetts, for example, solar projects outnumber wind projects by 3 to 1. In total, over 4,000 residential solar projects have been installed in Massachusetts, and installed solar capacity is already over 200 megawatts.

While Massachusetts has strong incentives through tax rebates and rate based programs, Rhode Island ranks last in the Northeast in renewable energy projects.  Efforts to pass bills in the legislature this past session to reinstate the RI renewable energy tax credit were unsuccessful. Representative Deb Ruggerio said that the state spent about $155,000 a year while we had a tax credit which generated over $1 million a year in economic activity for solar installers. Rhode Island has increased larger solar projects with its new distributed generation program.

Rhode Island has some work to do, but I believe that a solar panel on the roof will soon become commonplace. Several communities in California are already requiring all new houses to be built with roof top solar as a standard practice. For me the decision to go solar was about cutting down on my natural gas use and all the baggage that comes with it. Saving money and increasing the value of my house are also good things, as is supporting the effort to change perceptions about renewable energy. We as homeowners have it within our power to change the economics of the energy industry. I am looking forward to seeing the shut down of coal fired power plants like Brayton Point, and hopefully someday soon, the Pilgrim nuclear plant. Let the sun shine!

Stillhouse Cove in Cranston gets an Adaptive Makeover

In case you missed it, last week was National Estuaries Week. We kicked off the week with our annual Beach Slam at Goddard Memorial State Park, and continued with the christening of our new education vessel the Elizabeth Morris. The habitat restoration staff was also in full swing with a project at Stillhouse Cove in Cranston. This small park north of Pawtuxet Village is the site of one of our recent salt marsh restoration projects were we cleared tidal creeks to allow fresh water to drain from the upper marsh.

This most recent project helps to address erosion issues at the upland edge of the marsh where it meets the bluff. Wave action and storm damage had caused the bluff to become eroded and undercut, threatening the loss of portions of the park. The steep bluff was graded to a more dissipated slope, and soil lifts or "burritos" as they are sometimes called, were installed to support the bank and new vegetation.

This project was part of our work to identify opportunities to protect shorelines naturally and help create a more resilient coastline. As sea level rises, it will be important to create places where wave energy can be dissipated and where shorelines can adapt to changes. The newly graded area will be planted and will support habitat values while protecting the shoreline.

Whittenton Dam Removal on the Mill River

Another dam has gone from the Mill River in Taunton, leaving the Reed & Barton dam as the only impediment to fish passage on the river. A new fish ladder has been constructed at Lake Sabbatia which will allow fish access to over 30 miles of habitat in the upper watershed. This dam is special because it was the catalyst for much of the recent discussion of dam safety, dam removal and floodplain restoration in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Our efforts in Rhode Island to have better disclosure of dam safety and increased dam inspections have come from our experience in Taunton. You can see much more about the project on the Mill River Restoration blog.

This recent coverage of the project from ABC6 news also shows the history of this dam and the importance of the restoration. The dam came out relatively quickly this week, and the entire project should be completed by September. Next year's removal of the Reed & Barton dam will see the project come full circle and will allow fish full access to the entire river corridor.

Removal of the Hopewell Mill dam last August was very successful and the river is beginning to take shape.