NSRWA recently received grant funding to support further study of the removal of two dams on the South River. A total of $12,000 was awarded by the Baker-Polito Administration through the Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) Priority Projects Program.
The program provides projects with grant funding, project management, and contracted technical services for wetland and river restoration, urban river revitalization, and streamflow restoration projects.
The towns are working with NSRWA and DER on the design and permitting to remove two river barriers; Veteran’s Pond Dam in Marshfield, and Temple Street Dam in Duxbury. Both dam removal projects will increase resilience to climate change, improve water quality, and benefit migratory fish such as river herring.
“The dams, especially the one in Veteran’s Park in Marshfield, are preventing fish migration as they can’t get over the fish ladder,” said NSRWA Executive Director Samantha Woods.
With the removal of the dams, fish will be able to migrate upstream to their spawning areas, and flooding issues will be decreased downstream.
“These grant-funded projects in Duxbury and Marshfield will increase the South Shore’s ability to mitigate the ongoing effects of climate change and protect coastal-zone communities,” said State Senator Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth). “The Baker-Polito Administration continues to make crucial investments in the resiliency of our environment, and this grant for dam removal will allow the North and South Rivers Watershed to safely adapt to climate change in a way that preserves both ecological health and water quality.”