After 14 years, Massachusetts dam removal begins to restore 7 miles of stream

Duxbu y,
MassachusettsRep ese tative
image

Fo
mo e
tha
a
ce tu y,
a
small
co c ete
dam
stood
i
the
way
of
a
ive ’s
atu al
flow.
Built
to
se ve
i dust ies
that
o
lo ge
exist,
the
Temple
St eet
Dam
i
Duxbu y,
Massachusetts,
had
lo g
outlived
its
pu pose.
It
blocked
fish
f om
eachi g
thei
spaw i g
g ou ds,
t apped
sedime t,
c eated
a
mai te a ce
bu de
fo
the
tow
a d
dis upted
the
atu al
hyd ology
of
the
South
Rive .
I
2012,
co se vatio ists
bega
wo ki g
to
cha ge
that.
Fou tee
yea s
late ,
i
2026,
demolitio
fi ally
sta ted.
The
emoval
of
the
Temple
St eet
Dam
is
set
to
eco ect
mo e
tha
7
miles
of
st eam,
esto e
6
ac es
of
ope
wate
wetla d
a d
b i g
the
South
Rive
o e
step
close
to
the
f ee-flowi g
ecosystem
it
o ce
was,
as
sha ed
by
Tow
of
Duxbu y
Massachusetts’
website.A
dam
with
o
pu poseThe
Temple
St eet
Dam,
also
k ow
as
the
Boys
&
Gi ls
Club
Dam
#2,
is
located
o
the
South
Rive
i
Plymouth
Cou ty,
Massachusetts.
Like
ma y
small
dams
ac oss
the
state,
it
was
built
to
suppo t
local
i dust y;
i
this
case,
a
mill
that
ope ated
i
the
19th
a d
ea ly
20th
ce tu ies.
But
those
i dust ies
a e
lo g
go e,
a d
the
dam
ow
se ves
o
fu ctio al
pu pose.I stead,
it
c eates
p oblems.
The
st uctu e
blocks
all
fish
mig atio
upst eam,
p eve ti g
species
such
as
ive
he i g,
Ame ica
eel
a d
wild
b ook
t out
f om
eachi g
c itical
habitat.

It
t aps
sedime t,
which
ca
deg ade
wate
quality
a d
alte
the
ive ’s
atu al
flow.
A d
it
equi es
o goi g
mai te a ce
f om
the
Tow
of
Duxbu y,
which
ow s
the
dam
a d
is
espo sible
fo
its
upkeep.Fo
yea s,
the
dam
was
simply
accepted
as
pa t
of
the
la dscape.
But
as
awa e ess
of
the
ecological
impacts
of
obsolete
dams
g ew,
so
did
the
moveme t
to
emove
them.A
lo g
oad
to
emovalThe
push
to
emove
the
Temple
St eet
Dam
bega
i
ea est
i
2012,
whe
the
No th
a d
South
Rive s
Wate shed
Associatio
(NSRWA)
a d
local
pa t e s
sta ted
explo i g
the
possibility.
The
South
Rive
o igi ates
i
the
ed
maple
swamps
of
Duxbu y
a d
flows
to
Massachusetts
Bay
i
Ma shfield.
It
is
a
vital
wate way
fo
mig ato y
fish,
wildlife
a d
the
su ou di g
commu ities.I
2016,
the
Massachusetts
Divisio
of
Ecological
Resto atio
(DER)
ide tified
the
South
Rive
Resto atio
P oject
as
a
p io ity.
The
p oject
i cludes
the
pote tial
emoval
of
th ee
dams
alo g
the
ive :
Temple
St eet,
Cha dle
Po d
a d
Vete a s
Memo ial
Pa k.
The
goal
is
to
esto e
fish
passage,
imp ove
habitat
a d
educe
the
mai te a ce
bu de
o
the
tow s
of
Duxbu y
a d
Ma shfield.The
fi st
dam
to
come
dow
was
the
Vete a s
Memo ial
Pa k
Dam,
emoved
i
Ja ua y
2025.
The
Temple
St eet
Dam
is
the
fi al
ba ie
o
the
South
Rive ,
a d
its
emoval
ma ks
the
culmi atio
of
mo e
tha
a
decade
of
pla i g,
pe mitti g
a d
commu ity
e gageme t.What
the
emoval
will
achieveThe
emoval
of
the
Temple
St eet
Dam
is
expected
to
delive
sig ifica t
ecological
be efits.
By
elimi ati g
the
ba ie ,
the
p oject
will:Reco ect
a
additio al
7
miles
of
st eam,
allowi g
fish
a d
othe
aquatic
species
to
move
f eely
upst eam
a d
dow st eamResto e
6
ac es
of
ope
wate
wetla d,
c eati g
habitat
fo
wildlife
a d
imp ovi g
wate
qualityResto e
atu al
hyd ology,
educi g
the
isk
of
floodi g
a d
imp ovi g
the
ive ’s
esilie ce
to
climate
cha geElimi ate
the
o goi g
mai te a ce
bu de
o
the
Tow
of
Duxbu yThe
p oject
also
i cludes
the
co st uctio
of
a
th ee-step
iffle/pool
st eam
segme t
to
eplace
the
dam.
This
will
e su e
passage
fo
fish
a d
othe
aquatic
species,
esto e
ecological
p ocesses
a d
mai tai
atu al
hyd ology
while
avoidi g
dow st eam
flood
impacts
to
i f ast uctu e.A
collabo ative
effo tThe
Temple
St eet
Dam
Removal
P oject
is
the
esult
of
collabo atio
betwee
multiple
pa t e s,
i cludi g
the
Tow
of
Duxbu y,
the
No th
a d
South
Rive s
Wate shed
Associatio ,
the
Massachusetts
Divisio
of
Ecological
Resto atio
a d
MassBays.
Fu di g
has
come
f om
state
g a ts,
i cludi g
a
$150,000
awa d
f om
the
Healey-D iscoll
Admi ist atio
i
2026
to
suppo t
co st uctio .Public
e gageme t
has
also
bee
a
key
compo e t.
I
Octobe
2023,
NSRWA
a d
p oject
pa t e s
held
public
i fo matio
sessio s
to
p ese t
the
cu e t
desig
fo
the
emoval
a d
gathe
feedback
f om
the
commu ity.
The
p oject
team
has
wo ked
closely
with
local
eside ts,
co se vatio
g oups
a d
gove me t
age cies
to
e su e
the
emoval
is
do e
safely
a d
effectively.A
model
fo
ive
esto atio The
emoval
of
the
Temple
St eet
Dam
is
pa t
of
a
b oade
moveme t
to
esto e
ive s
a d
wetla ds
ac oss
Massachusetts.
Ove
the
past
two
decades,
mo e
tha
100
dams
have
bee
emoved
i
the
state,
eco ecti g
thousa ds
of
miles
of
st eam
a d
esto i g
c itical
habitat
fo
fish
a d
wildlife.These
p ojects
a e
ot
just
about
emovi g
ba ie s.
They
a e
about
eco ecti g
la dscapes,
esto i g
atu al
p ocesses
a d
buildi g
esilie ce
to
climate
cha ge.
Healthy
ive s
a d
wetla ds
p ovide
a
a ge
of
ecological
se vices,
i cludi g
floodwate
sto age,
wate
filt atio
a d
habitat
fo
biodive sity.The
South
Rive
Resto atio
P oject
is
a
p ime
example
of
what
ca
be
achieved
whe
commu ities,
co se vatio ists
a d
gove me t
age cies
wo k
togethe .
It
is
a
model
fo
how
obsolete
i f ast uctu e
ca
be
eplaced
with
livi g,
b eathi g
ecosystems
that
be efit
both
people
a d
atu e.A
ive
ebo As
demolitio
of
the
Temple
St eet
Dam
begi s,
the
South
Rive
is
o
the
cusp
of
a
t a sfo matio .
Fo
the
fi st
time
i
mo e
tha
a
ce tu y,
fish
will
be
able
to
swim
f eely
up
a d
dow
the
ive .
Wetla ds
will
be
esto ed,
wate
quality
will
imp ove
a d
the
atu al
flow
of
the
ive
will
be
e-established.The
p oject
is
a
emi de
that
eve
small
actio s,
like
emovi g
a
si gle
dam,
ca
have
big
impacts.
It
is
a
testame t
to
the
powe
of
pe siste ce,
collabo atio
a d
a
sha ed
visio
fo
a
healthie ,
mo e
esilie t
futu e.I
2012,
co se vatio ists
bega
wo ki g
to
emove
a
obsolete
dam.
Fou tee
yea s
late ,
that
wo k
is
fi ally
bea i g
f uit.
A d
whe
the
last
piece
of
co c ete
is
emoved,
the
South
Rive
will
flow
f eely
o ce
agai ,
a
livi g
symbol
of
what
is
possible
whe
we
choose
to
esto e
athe
tha
est ict,
to
eco ect
athe
tha
divide.

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