BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – Located on the Saxtons River in Bellows Falls, the 90-foot-long Blake Higgins Dam has a long history, and several rebuilds going back as far as 1838, when it was originally created to generate electricity for one of the nearby paper mills.
Fast-forward some 185 years, and a recent $450,000 removal project headed by the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) that recently removed the old concrete and timber dam that had been blocking fish access to the Saxtons River for spawning for nearly two centuries.
Recognized as a “clear water project,” the endeavor has taken years of fundraising, grant writing, and planning to reach this point, according to Ron Rhodes, the director of restoration programs for the CRC.
“The State of Vermont contacted me back in 2019,” Rhodes stated in a recent interview. “So, it has taken six years to get this project done. The dam removal was first identified as a ‘priority project’ in the state’s 2010 Stream Geomorphic Assessment and in subsequent Basin Plans, which is how the Agency of Natural Resources sets priorities for such things as state funding in each of our Vermont watersheds.”
Along with the unblocking of the spawning access, the dam removal also frees up sediment that continues to build up behind the dam and subsequently seeps into the Saxtons River. In addition, it will also relieve and lower potential flood elevations in the area by some 7 feet, which in turn gives the river more room to expand.
“Removing the dam will increase sediment transport downstream, instead of it being trapped upstream of the dam,” Rhodes said. “It will also improve water temperatures for cold water species, as water ponding above a dam is warmer.”
The dam removal also benefits the spawning of sea lamprey, the American eel, and American shad, as the Saxtons River is one of the best sea lamprey spawning rivers in Vermont.
“The spawning for our native sea lamprey is the reason why we received Vermont Fish and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services funds for the project,” Rhodes added. “Another of our largest supporters was the State of Vermont Clean Water Block Grant, which focuses on water quality.”
The habitat in the Saxtons River, from the Connecticut River to the Twins Falls in North Westminster, is considered prime spawning habitat, as the gravel in the streambed is the ideal size for the lamprey to spawn in. While some sea lampreys become parasitic because of overcrowding, and can endanger trout populations, lamprey are relatively benign in the waters of the Connecticut River.
“Projects like this take a lot of time and partnerships to make happen,” Rhodes concluded. “CRC couldn’t complete projects like this without our federal and state agency partners, the local groups, neighbors and town entities, and really good local contractors, in this case, SLR Engineering and Adams Construction.
“Another cool aspect of this project is that CRC now owns the abutting land, and a recreational access has been installed as part of the dam removal project, with new parking and steps.” For more information, visit www.ctriver.org.