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Mystic, Connecticut
Funded in FY2019 through the National Fish Habitat Action Plan.
The Whitford Pond Dam is an 8-ft-high, 300-ft-long earthen dam with a 32-ft stone masonry spillway. The original lumber mill on the site went out of business at least a century ago, but the dam continues to block access to natural spawning and nursery habitat for diadromous fishes such as river herring, sea lamprey, and American shad, which are vital to the health and diversity of the Long Island Sound ecosystem. Funding for this project will result in a fully-designed and shovel-ready barrier removal project at Whitford Pond Dam on Whitford Brook, a tributary of the Mystic River in southeastern Connecticut. It will complete critical design work at the first barrier to migration on an historically prolific diadromous run, which will restore 1.2 miles of riverine bottom, provide 26.4 acres of improved ecosystem function for fish and wildlife species, and leverage fish passage restoration momentum among regional stakeholders. This work is being led by the Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound, with the help of state and federal project partners.
Text and photos provided by Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound.