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River Restoration
Project Name: Yokum Brook Dam Removals
The removal of Ballou dam was completed in December of 2006 and is the final phase in the multi-year effort to restore fish and wildlife passage through Yokum Brook following the 2003 removal of the Silk Mill Dam.
Site Location and Description:
Yokum Brook is a tributary to the West Branch of the Westfield River. In 1998, the upper West Branch supported the first natural spawning of Atlantic salmon in Massachusetts in over 150 years, and restoring habitat continuity for coldwater fisheries in Yokum Brook is a priority for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Tens of thousands of Atlantic salmon fry are stocked on an annual basis upstream of Ballou Dam and (the former) Silk Mill Dam. Several hundred thousand fry are stocked throughout the Westfield River watershed each spring.
Completion of the project will eliminate local barriers to Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) migration and enable eastern brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis ) movement - restoring 50 kilometers of river continuity downstream (West Branch of the Westfield River and tributaries) and 14 kilometers in Yokum Brook and its tributaries.
The initial phase of the project has been completed with the removal of Silk Mill Dam in February 2003. The next phase of the project includes the removal of Ballou Dam, located between the former Silk Mill Dam and the confluence of Yokum Brook with the West Branch of the Westfield River. Ballou Dam was an 11.5 foot high masonry dam with a maximum storage volume of 2 acre-feet. It was listed in “fair” condition by the Massachusetts Office of Dam Safety (“Dam Safety”). Silk Mill Dam was a 14 foot high concrete dam with a maximum storage volume of 1 acre-foot and listed in “poor” condition by Dam Safety. Removing Ballou Dam was designed to be compatible with the continued use of dry hydrants, and use of alternative storage tanks, to ensure fire protection for the Town.
| Subwatershed Problems: |
Proposed Solutions: |
| Silk Mill Dam: poor condition dam; barrier to coldwater species |
Removed in 2003 |
| Ballou Dam: fair condition dam; barrier to coldwater species |
Removed the dam in 2006 to allow aquatic species movement, and installed water storage tanks for alternative fire protection |
Community Involvement:
The Massachusetts Riverways Program has been working cooperatively with the Town of Becket and multiple partners (see margin) since 2001 to restore coldwater habitat and fish movement in Yokum Brook, tributary to the West Branch of the Westfield River.
Riverways has cooperated with the Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited to secure funding to spearhead an environmental education collaborative. The Yokum Brook Environmental Education Collaborative has: 1) implemented the Atlantic Salmon Egg Rearing Program (“ASERP”) in the Becket-Washington Elementary School, 2) integrated the hands-on educational activities of ASERP with lessons learned from an active on-the-ground river restoration project, 3) documented the river restoration and student participation through professional videography, 4) produced new materials for use in ASERP, including an interactive classroom calendar and children’s natural science picturebook.
Status:
The water tanks have been installed and the instream habitat enhancements and dam removal has been completed. Fish were transfered out of the channel prior the construction phase of the dam removal. Plantings and monitoring will continue in the spring.
Project Funders:
FishAmerica Foundation and Pro-line Manufacturing
Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Northeast Utilities and the Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership
Riverways Program
Sweetwater Trust
Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited
The Nature Conservancy
The Town of Becket
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Project Partners:
4Winns Productions
American Rivers
Becket-Washington School
Citizens and volunteers from the Town of Becket and surrounding communities
Connecticut River Watershed Council
Environmental Protection Agency
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
Massachusetts Office of Dam Safety
Massachusetts Office of Fishing and Boating Access
National Park Service
United States Geological Survey
Westfield River Watershed Association
Westfield River Wild and Scenic Advisory Committee
Engineering and Design:
Milone and MacBroom, Inc.
Foresight Land Services
Contractor:
Del-Rich, Inc.
Page last updated May 2007
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