State announces $13.45 million for dam removal and repair funds

Massachusetts leaders announced funding this week for grant and loan programs that will repair and remove dams as well as improve coastal infrastructure such as seawalls and breakwaters across the state.

The recently announced funding of a bill intended to aid communities in removing and repairing dams across Massachusetts has propelled an important ongoing movement towards revitalizing rivers across the state. The Legislature and the Patrick administration awarded $13.5 million to not only remove ecologically hazardous dams and repair unsafe ones, but also to improve coastal infrastructure.

The bill was approved just over a year ago, after the combined efforts of local leaders, conservation organizations, and associations representing municipalities, water suppliers and engineers brought the rampant issue of hazardous and harmful dams to the foreground.

With this motion, Massachusetts continues to lead the Northeast in dam removal. In 2011 and 2012, the state topped annual listings by the conservation group American Rivers for removing dams to benefit rivers and promote healthy ecosystems.

“Massachusetts has roughly 3,000 dams- 85 percent of which no longer serve their intended purpose…” said Steve Long, director of government relations at The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts.

The threat of these damaged or outdated dams is elevated by extreme weather and floodwaters, and with still-apparent threats of storms like Superstorm Sandy or  Winter Storm Nemo, unsound infrastructure is a major susceptibility. The removal or repair of these obsolete dams will reduce flooding risks.

 “There is no question that these funds are desperately needed by our communities and I applaud the legislature for their work in this effort as well,” said Representative Anne Gobi, House Chair of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture in a statement from the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs released last week.

The Nature Conservancy advocated strongly for the legislation to be passed, as the ecological benefits of the projects funded by the bill would resonate throughout the state. Restoring stream flow to allow the passage of fish and other wildlife poses to benefit fisheries, angling, and freshwater recreation in the area’s surrounding dam removal projects.

One of the 16 projects to receive funding this Monday was the Rattlesnake Brook Dam Removal project in Fall River, Massachusetts. The $46,474 in funding to help remove the dam will create security for the recently rebuilt Narrows Road, establish a native riparian wetland community, and provide passageways for wildlife that will promote river quality and improve the health of brook trout, American eel, and sea lamprey populations.

“It’s a fantastic way to provide a set of tools for the commonwealth to address climate change impacts,” said Long.

Photo: From left, Steve Long of The Nature Conservancy, Mike Labossiere of the Fall River Water Dept., and Alison Bowden of The Nature Conservancy at Monday's announcement