Souhegan River Dam Removal Study
This is new and exciting news to me. I really need to join one of the TU chapters and get involved at some level in what they are doing. Perhaps working with the ‘Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture’, will kill two birds with one stone. We’ll see about that soon, as I expect a call any day now regarding some stream work. Removing some of these dams would go a long way toward over all habitat improvement.
Merrimack River Valley Trout Unlimited Chapter Merrimack River Valley Trout Unlimited Chapter Receives Grant to Study Dam Removal on the Souhegan River
Date: 04/06/2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jeff Lindberg, Merrimack River Valley TU President (603)-305-0029
Erin Mooney, TU National Press Secretary, (703) 284-9408
Merrimack River Valley Trout Unlimited Chapter Merrimack River Valley Trout Unlimited Chapter Receives Grant to Study Dam Removal on the Souhegan River
Arlington, Va.– Trout Unlimited, (TU) the nation’s oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization, today awarded a $7,000 Embrace-A-Stream grant to its Merrimack River Valley chapter in New Hampshire to conduct a feasibility study to remove two dams on the Souhegan River in Milford, N.H.
If removed, the dams would open up six miles of river for trout and salmon habitat. The chapter will work with the town of Milford as well as the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services to conduct the feasibility survey. The determination about the removal of the dams is expected to occur in June 2012.
“Through the hard work of TU members across the country, we are able to put our organization’s mission into action,” said Bryan Moore, Vice President for Volunteer Operations and Watershed Programs. “TU’s grassroots members work tirelessly to protect and restore the nation’s coldwater resources so that they will exist for generations to come.”
Embrace-A-Stream is the flagship grant program for funding TU grassroots conservation efforts. Funding is provided primarily through the support of TU members, with additional support in 2010 provided by Costa del Mar and the FishAmerica Foundation. An Embrace-A-Stream Committee comprised of TU volunteer representatives and scientific advisors evaluates all proposed projects and makes the awards.
In 2010, the Embrace-A-Stream program will provide over $125,000 to 24 projects in 15 states. Projects will address stream habitat restoration, improving fish passage and protecting water quality. Many of the projects will benefit eastern brook trout from Maine to Georgia, and will help protect cutthroat trout in the West as well as coho and Chinook salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Since the program’s inception in 1976, Embrace-A-Stream has funded more than 950 individual projects totaling approximately $4 million. As a result of this funding from Embrace-A-Stream, the projects have leveraged more than $12.7 million in additional funding.
Trout Unlimited is North America’s leading coldwater fisheries conservation organization, with more than 140,000 members dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.
Of Upland Birds, Setters and Trout 
Speaking of the Souhegan, I received an email from the friends of the Souhegan, via a list I signed up for years ago. This was the first email I got from them.
It listed ouf the ecoli samples from various spots on the river. The acceptable level was 88. Amherst had the highest levels of all. The numbers follow the spot.
Needless to say, I would’nt swim there-Id wear my waders.
The numbers are below.
Billy Ward Pond, Ashburnham NA
SoR 333 River Road above Water Loom Pond, New Ipswich NA
SoR 320 Highbridge, New Ipswich 145
SoR 309 Above Greenville Mill Pond, Greenville 77
SoR 296 Downtown Greenville upstream of WWTP 75
SoR 291 Green Bridge off Rte 31 below Greenville WWTP 96
SoR 218 Below the Horseshoe, Wilton 121
SoR 210 Downtown Wilton NA
SoR 201 Pine Valley Mill, West Milford 365
SoR 170 Behind Hayward Field, West Milford 435
SoR 155 Souhegan Valley Boys and Girls Club, Milford 517
SoR 146 Swing Bridge, Milford 579
SoR 133 Riverside Cemetery, Milford 461
SoR 130 Behind Lorden Plaza, Milford 649
SoR 122 Amherst Country Club 517
SoR 116 Amherst Conservation land Fairway Road, Amherst 687
SoR 095 Boston Post Road Canoeport, Amherst 687
SoR 057 Indian Ledges, Merrimack 727
SoR 034 Turkey Hill Bridge, Merrimack 613
SoR 001 DW Hwy, Merrimack 225
Yup–Not sure if those levels have changed, but they probably have.
Folks come from a nearby city and swim in that ‘put in’ in Amherst. It was this sort of thing that had caused me to have little interest in fishing the Souhegan until this year.
Dam removel will really help a lot, get that water moving again. I also think a lot should be done about the public swimming in some rivers, there is a time and a place.
Just my ideas
Lee
Yup–a free flowing river or stream is better all around for the fish, and especially since the state stocks some of those rivers, such as the Souhegan with Atlantic Salmon fry.
One of the unfortunate aspects of folks coming from the city to our small town in order to swim, is that often times they leave behind litter of all sorts–including broken glass.
I feel like I’m cleaning up after those folks that have no sense of the right and wrong of such behavior. To be perfectly honest, it gets me a bit riled.
John, Join the Merrimack River Valley Chapter. We meet in Manchester the 2nd Tuesday of the month from September through May. http://www.merrimacktu.org The Souhegan and Piscataquog are our “home rivers” and we have a number of projects under way on each of those rivers, in addition to the feasibility study of two dams in Milford.
-Gerry
I’ve just joined. I’d been meaning to, anyway and just needed wee boot.
Thanks Gerry.