- Division of Ecological Restoration
Working with our partners, DER is advancing three priority dam removal and restoration projects. Traphole Brook in Norwood, Sucker Brook in Pepperell, and Osgood Brook in Wendell have all begun preliminary design phase. DER and our consultants have been busy in the field collecting sediment, survey, historical, fisheries, and wetlands data. We have also been gathering other key information that will inform modeling, design, and permitting efforts. All three projects benefit coldwater fisheries and freshwater mussel resources. We are excited about these new dam removal projects and will continue to provide updates as the projects progress.
Some Highlights:
We were excited to join our colleagues at MassWildlife for electrofishing last month at Osgood Brook to collect fisheries data. DER also deployed temperature loggers to assess the impacts the dam impoundment has on water temperature on this coldwater fishery.
Our partners at Neponset River Watershed Association, Town of Norwood, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, helped host a meeting at the Norwood Public Library last month to share information and hear from the local community about the Traphole Brook project. We had a great conversation with community members and town representatives and look forward to working with them throughout the project.
We were joined by the Town of Pepperell and Squan-a-Tissit Trout Unlimited for a day of field work at Sucker Brook alongside our consultants collecting sediment samples, depth profiles, and survey data.
Image: Left: Electrofishing at Osgood Brook. Middle: Traphole Brook just downstream of the dam. Right: In the field with partners and consultants at Sucker Brook.
