River Restoration

Riverways' restoration projects work cooperatively with efforts by the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and the Division of Marine Fisheries. Click here to learn more about DFG's work on climate change effects on habitat.

Our Restoration staff collaborates with dam owners, federal, state, local and nonprofit partners to facilitate, promote, and implement river and stream restoration in Massachusetts. the Restoration staff focuses on restoring rivers and streams by removing unsafe or obsolete dams and obstructions to reconnect natural and cultural river communities.

Click here to find out the status of our restoration projects.

Riverways is eager to provide technical assistance to dam owners interested in river and stream restoration.
- Click here to read the guidance document prepared for dam owners by the EOEEA.
- Click here to read about how dam removal fits with the MA Wetlands Protection Act.

See more Dam Removal Resources, below.

To learn more about restoring rivers through dam removal, contact Tim Purinton at 617-626-1542 for the Restoration fact sheet.

Completed Dam Removal Projects

Yokum Brook, Becket Ballou Dam removed in December 2006
Red Brook, Wareham and Plymouth Robbins Dam removed in September 2006
Galloway Brook, Barre Upper Cooks Canyon Dam removed in June 2006
Yokum Brook, Becket Silk Mill Dam removed in 2003
Town Brook, Plymouth Billington Street Dam removed in 2002
Housatonic River, Dalton Old Berkshire Mill Dam removed in 2000

Current Dam Removal Projects

See priority projects list for ongoing projects

Index of Environmental Risk

A GIS-based analytical framework that:
(1) assesses the environmental impact of dams on aquatic resources from their contributions to environmental degradation, and
(2) characterizes the environmental hazard to aquatic and other public resources from the uncontrolled breach or catastrophic failure of dams.

Site Reconnaissance

Riverways supports initial engineering studies of portential restoration sites to inform land owners, agencies, and partners of the opportunities and constraints particular to the site. Click here to read about the Fiscal Year 2008 Site Recons.

Dam Removal Resources

Fact Sheets (To obtain these fact sheets contact Tim Purinton at 617-626-1542)
Permitting Small Dam Removal (pdf)
Funding Sources for Small Dam Removal (pdf)
Conservation Commissions and Dam Removal (pdf)

Technical reports (To obtain these reports contact Tim Purinton at 617-626-1542)
Summary of statistics on dams in Massachusetts prepared by Fuss & O'Neill, Inc., June 2004
Impounded Sediment and Dam Removal in Massachusetts Riverways Program, June 2003 (10 MB pdf)
Small Dam Removal: A Review of Potential Economic Benefits, Trout Unlimited, October 2001

Presentations (To obtain these presentations contact Tim Purinton at 617-626-1542)
Presentations from the October 2006 University of Wisconsin short course, “Succeeding with a Dam Removal Project”:
Dam Removal Overview
Economics and Liability Issues of Dam Removal
Permitting and Dam Removal