EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Rebirth of the Naugatuck

Fish Channel At Tingue Dam, Naugatuck River
Seymour, Connecticut

Explanation:  The Naugatuck River occurs entirely within the state of Connecticut, U.S.A. A tributary of the Housatonic River which flows into Long Island Sound, it was once considered one of the most polluted waterways in North America due to the direct discharge of a variety of industrial chemicals into its waters from factories scattered along its forty mile length. In addition, a series of dams used for rinse, cooling and boiler water for the factories blocked fish passage and contributed to its long-term, degraded state.

This week's photo shows a recently completed fish channel at the Tingue Dam in the town of Seymour -- the first fish channel of its kind in New England -- which now allows species like American shad, blueback herring, alewife, sea lamprey and sea-run brown trout to access twenty-five miles of upstream habitat that was inaccessible to these fish for 250 years!
  

Tingue Dam along the Naugatuck River
  

The comeback of the Naugatuck began in earnest with the passage of Connecticut Clean Water Act of 1967 and the federal Clean Water Act in 1972. Pollution was drastically reduced, and riparian vegetation and aquatic organisms slowly returned to its shorelines and waters. Eventually, fish-eating birds like herons, kingfishers, ospreys and bald eagles returned as well, species that were essentially absent for many decades. Muskrats and beavers have also taken up residence in parts of the river.
  

Great Egrets, once again a part of the Naugatuck waterway ecosystem.
  

Starting in the late 1990's, five dams were removed along its length and another bypassed with a fish ladder. The Tingue Dam in Seymour was the final blockage to anadromous (ocean-going) fish below Torrington in northern Connecticut.

The Naugatuck River has become a popular recreational fishery for stocked Atlantic salmon and several trout species. The river has also become popular for kayakers and other recreationists. Recreation and wildlife viewing opportunities are expected to expand as the anadromous fish access historic habitat.

Like many rivers, the Naugatuck faces many challenges including pollution from residential sources and storm water runoff, and control of invasive riparian plants such as Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica), which is abundant in some sections. It is, however, an impressive example of aquatic habitat restoration following long periods of human abuse, given sufficient willpower and funding.
  

Information sign at the fish bypass on the Tingue Dam.
Click for larger image.

 

Acknowledgment:  My appreciation to Wildlife Biologist Tom Kogut for supplying this week's topic, photos, and text. 
            - Bruce Marcot