Thursday, July 21, 2011

Current Conditions at Pawtuxet Falls Dam

Construction, or rather destruction, is about to begin on the Pawtuxet Falls Dam. The Pawtuxet River Authority, along with its partners will be removing sections of the dam to restore the connectivity between the river and the Narragansett Bay. Today, obsolete dams prevent the fish from returning to their historic spawning grounds. Restoring the connectivity will allow migratory fish to return to their historic spawning grounds. For thousands of years, great schools of herring and shad swam upstream from Narragansett Bay each spring to spawn in the streams, lakes and ponds of the Pawtuxet watershed.
These sections of the Pawtuxet Falls Dam will be removed.
The project partners will be monitoring the construction process and posting pictures and information as the construction crew removes sections of the dam and plants new vegetation along the banks. Become a follower and stay up-to-date on the process!
Panoramic view of both sections of dam to be removed.