Aquatic Infrastructure

Aquatic infrastructure refers to any physical structure that has a water related function. For instance,: Dams, fish ladders, culverts, docks and piers.

Dams play a critical role in water management but also have significant environmental impacts. Among these is that they block the annual migration of fish into streams from the ocean to spawn. Fish that share this pattern are called anadromous fish and include salmon, alewife, blueback herring, shad, gizzard shad, striped bass and others.

When dams block the migration, the population suffers. This affects our ocean fish like tuna and cod that feed on these fish. And the fishing economies suffer too.

Dam removal is the most effective method to restore fish migration and can be done on dams that have outlived their usefulness.

Fish ladders are another way of mitigating the consequences of dams on fish migration. This can be accomplished while retaining the function of dams in use.

HVSC gets grants for both fish ladder and dam removal design and permitting.

Municipalities who own these dams have little incentive to remove them or mitigate their effect on fish. HVSC can develop that funding and partner with the municipalities to make it possible for them to improve their streams with little financial commitment.