Habitat Restoration

One of the most impactful ways to improve the health of a river is to remove or modify human-made structures, like dams and road crossing culverts.

We have almost 100 dams in the Neponset River Watershed, most of which are obsolete, and we have hundreds of road culverts that cross our streams, many of which are barriers.

The removal of obsolete dams and replacement of undersized culverts will benefit wildlife and people, and will:

• Allow fish and aquatic wildlife to swim freely around the Watershed (even up from the ocean!) to reach areas needed for spawning, feeding, and refuge.
• Prevent inbreeding of isolated fish populations and allow recolonization of areas subjected to environmental shocks such as pollution events or drought.
• Reduce water temperatures, increase dissolved oxygen levels, and reduce toxic algae blooms, all caused when water trapped behind a dam bakes in the sun.
• Enable terrestrial animals to walk safely under roadways and reduce car crashes.
• Restore natural stream flow and sediment/nutrient transport patterns.
• Prevent obsolete dams from collapsing during major rain events, which contributes to catastrophic flooding. May help remove contaminated sediments from formerly industrial mill ponds.
• Save millions of dollars of unnecessary infrastructure spending needed to keep obsolete dams from washing away.
• Prevent roadways with undersized culverts from washing out during floods and jeopardizing emergency responders.
• Expand boating and fishing opportunities and restore the wild sounds of rushing rapids and bubbling brooks in our neighborhoods.

For more information about Dams & Culverts, please contact NepRWA River Restoration Director, Sean McCanty, at mccanty@neponset.org