Congressman Hodes Supports Connecticut River Restoration
CONCORD, N.H. -- November 24, 2009 -- Congressman Paul Hodes (D-NH) and The Nature Conservancy announced today that $359,000 in federal funding has been approved to restore flood plains, fish migration, and other environmental benefits within the Connecticut River watershed. Funding for the project was included in the FY10 Energy and Water Appropriations bill recently signed by the President.
“The Connecticut River is a critical natural resource in the Granite State,” said Congressman Hodes. “This project will enhance our understanding of the River, allowing us to more efficiently utilize dams and protect important ecosystems.”
The Connecticut River Watershed Restoration project is a joint effort between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and The Nature Conservancy to restore healthy river flows to the Connecticut. The Connecticut River project is one of the 36 federal reservoirs in 12 states where the Corps is analyzing the operation of dams to determine if it is possible to manage river flow for environmental benefits, while maintaining important human uses such as water supply, flood control, and hydropower generation. The project will identify and evaluate measures to reduce stream bank erosion, restore migratory corridors and spawning habitat for anadromous fisheries, restore degraded wetlands and riverine habitat and improve the overall fish and wildlife habitat of the River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owns and operates 14 flood control dams in the Connecticut River Basin.
“From its trickling start near the New Hampshire/Quebec border in Pittsburg to its enormous outflow at Long Island Sound, the Connecticut River is an emblem of New England’s human and natural environment,” said Daryl Burtnett, State Director for The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire. “Today, we know that our rivers and streams must flow with enough water to sustain plants and animals, many of which are adapted to natural, seasonal changes. This means we can strive for a balance that meets our needs in the present while ensuring the health of our waters for the future,” said Burtnett.
One of the project’s key outcomes will be the creation of a basin-wide hydrologic model and decision support tool that will allow water managers and other key stakeholders to evaluate environmental and economic outcomes based on various management scenarios. Early findings show that minor adjustments to dams’ management might make a huge difference in restoring natural processes, thus improving chances for floodplain forests. Data from this study will also assist decision making for future Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) licensing processes.
The Connecticut River depends on the naturally variable flow of water to support its ecosystem. High flows in spring and fall allow fish to migrate to spawning areas and young fish to move downstream. Low flows in summer are critical for certain aquatic plants to root. Barely a mile from its inauspicious start at the outflow of Fourth Connecticut Lake, the Connecticut River is blocked by its first dam. Throughout its entire watershed – an area nearly the size of Maryland – more than 2,700 dams interrupt the basin’s natural flow.
The U.S. invested deeply in water infrastructure during the last century, building thousands of dams and reservoirs including more than 600 operated by the Corps. Most of these dams were built between 1935 and 1975, and unfortunately their operations have not been formally reviewed and revised in decades. Through the SRP, the Corps is updating reservoir operations to incorporate current river science and mitigate for the unintended consequences of dams, such as degraded water quality; impaired river, floodplain, and estuary habitats; species loss; and diminished ecosystem services including natural water purification, flood attenuation, and healthy fisheries.
The Conservancy has identified the Connecticut River Basin as a high priority landscape in New England due to the high quality tributary systems, unique natural communities and multitude of federal trust species. These species include bald eagle, puritan tiger beetle, Jesup’s milkvetch, piping plover, Robbins cinquefoil, northeastern bulrush, short-nose sturgeon, dwarf wedgemussel and Atlantic salmon.
The Conservancy has been working in the Connecticut River landscape for more than 40 years. In fact, the river’s mainstem is bookended by Nature Conservancy preserves: Fourth Connecticut Lake in Pittsburg, N.H., and Griswold Point in Old Lyme, Conn. To date, the Conservancy has protected nearly 250,000 acres in the watershed.
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.
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