Project Title: Manhan River Fish Passage (FFS #R5EA)

State: Massachusetts

Project Description: Under this American Recovery and Reinvestment Act project, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the City of Easthampton, Mass., began a project to provide fish passage at a dam on the Manhan River for several species of fish. Read the media alert for more information.

“We can do something here that will affect the world fish population,” said long time Easthampton resident Frank Steplar. He is excited over the partnership between the city and the Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program that made available $750,000 in federal economic stimulus funding to install a fish ladder on the lower-most dam along the Manhan River.

The fish passage would open up an additional 11 miles on mainstream habitat and 10-20 miles of tributary habitat. The small streams feeding into the Manhan have cut like a snake through time in the backyards of Easthampton residents and should provide miles of habitable fresh water.

The denil style ladder would run up the south side of the dam and extend about 150 feet downstream from the structure and serve as a ramp for migrating fish to move up and over the impediment. Salmon, shad and other species will navigate two turns while swimming upstream to reach their destination.

There would also be passage for the fish to swim back downstream.

Though the project is currently stalled, it has supported ten jobs to date.

Video: New England Ecological Services Field Office — Manhan River Fish Passage
Watch the interviews of men and women involved in the Manhan River fish passage project in the following video.

Read the transcript of the interviews in the above video.

Photos:

This project will allow Atlantic salmon and other migratory fish to reach 11 additional river miles.

An artist’s rendition of what the fish ladder may look like. Courtesy of Alan James Robinson. Copyright 2002

Media Alert: Easthampton receives $750,000 in federal stimulus funds to complete fish passage project at Manhan River Dam

This page was created by Keith Shannon, student intern for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Northeast Region, whose position is funded by the Recovery Act.

Originally posted 12/11/2009
Updated 01/05/2010
Updated 02/22/2010
Updated 12/08/2011