Monday 20 July 2020

100-year-old dam in Marysville will be removed to restore fish passageway

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Replying to @alllibertynews and 49 others
Methinks CBC should be embarrassed by its obvious malicious support of a Conservative troll who uses many names as he insults and spins strawman arguments for the benefit of Higgy et al N'esy Pas? 


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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/cambell-creek-nashwaak-watershed-dam-salmon-1.5654028 


100-year-old dam in Marysville will be removed to restore fish passageway

The dam has made it difficult for migratory species to travel from the creek to the Nashwaak River


Elizabeth Fraser · CBC News · Posted: Jul 19, 2020 8:00 AM AT



The century-old Campbell Creek dam in Marysville will be removed next year to allow a fish passage from the creek to the Nashwaak River. (Nashwaak Watershed Association)

A century-old dam used to service a former cotton mill in Marysville will be removed to restore a fish passage in a stream that flows into the Nashwaak River.

The dam, which is owned by the City of Fredericton, sits at the mouth of Campbell Creek and has made it impossible for migratory species to travel through. This includes Atlantic salmon, which have been stuck below the dam in Campbell Creek since the facility was built.

"This is an important reason to take out the dam, as salmon is of course a species at risk," said Jillian Hudgins, project co-coordinator for the Nashwaak Watershed Association.



Another species having difficulty is the American eel, which sometimes crawls up a water bank and slides to the other side of the dam

"Certainly the dam would pose an issue for getting around but they can do it if they want to," she said.


A beaver is blocking the culvert upstream from the dam, which could be affecting water flow and quality. (Nashwaak Watershed Association)

A little history

The dam was built in 1919 and is made of concrete. It's about eight metres high and 75 metres long.

Hudgins said the dam was repaired in 1948 but its condition has deteriorated over the last several decades.

 "Concrete does have a lifespan. There has been significant cracking of the concrete, which causes seepage of water," Hudgins said.

"And eventually, if that's left in place, the dam could fail, causing flooding downstream or cause flooding to adjacent land owners' properties."

In 2014, the dam was evaluated under an engineering assessment, which deemed it structurally unsafe and a public safety liability. The assessment advised that the dam needed to be demolished and for stream restoration to take place.

 
The dam was built in 1919 to help run the cotton mill in Marysville. (Nashwaak Watershed Association)

Restoring an ecosystem 

The project is being handled by The Maliseet Nation Conservation Council, Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick, St. Mary's First Nation, environmental groups and the City of Fredericton.

The four-phase project started in 2019 to perform environmental assessments and find project funding. This year will focus on community engagement. Then, the dam is expected to be removed next year.

The project will be completed in 2022 with partners planting native trees, grasses, shrubs and stabilizing soils in the former head pond to restore the ecosystem to what it was.

Hudgins also noted Campbell Creek holds "high quality cold-water" habitat for these at-risk species.

"This is a cold water stream," she said. "It's one of the first that fish would encounter on their way up to the Nashwaak, so it's really important that it's accessible for fish."

Kaleb Zelman, project lead for the Maliseet Nation Conservation Council, said he's hopeful this is the beginning of many dam removals to help improve ecosystems and the life of different species.



"This is simply one of many dam removals starting to take place across the country and across North America after we realize the longer-term impacts of putting these structures in," he said.
One of the examples is the removal of dams in communities throughout Maine, which has restored native fish like alewives.

The groups will hold an information session with St. Mary's First Nation on July 22. On July 23, they will host a public session through an online webinar hosted by the Nashwaak Watershed Association.

A heritage display will also be created in the town of Marysville to honour Wolastoqiyik settlers to the Nashwaak watershed and Campbell Creek.

About the Author



Elizabeth Fraser
Reporter/Editor
Elizabeth Fraser is a reporter/editor with CBC New Brunswick based in Fredericton. She's originally from Manitoba. Story tip? elizabeth.fraser@cbc.ca

 



37 Comments 
Commenting is now closed for this story.



  

David Amos
Methinks the crickets enjoyed the circus far more than the straw man and Higgy did N'esy Pas?

















John Grail 
What's the point? Bring the salmon back so people can fish them to oblivion?


Ray Oliver 
Reply to @John Grail: Properly maintained hunting and fishing quotas is a population control effort as well. You want deer and moose all over the roads to the point you see them invading communities like Quispamsis?



David Amos

Content disabled
Reply to @John Grail: Methinks the RCMP's favourite conservative spindoctor knows there are not that many salmon swimming by Quispamsis for him to brag about so he baits you with a straw man argument, Hence I will respond to it. Trust that the shill does not wish to admit that it is NOT properly maintained hunting and fishing quotas that will answer your question about human greed if the salmon were to be brought back. Feel free to disagree with me.

In my humble opinion industry has been the greatest threat to the fish just as this article attests. The companies owned and operated by the Irving Clan and their cohorts throughout New Brunswick prove my point in spades. Furthermore I don't think there are any dams on the Kennebecasis River to impede the salmon in their migration. However everybody also knows that its all the clear cutting that the conservatives promote are the cause of floods in Sussex and elsewhere that are sending all the moose and deer to snobby towns such as the one where Premier Higgy and his MP buddy Rob Moore live and represent N'esy Pas?



John Grail 
Reply to @Ray Oliver: I would rather them all over their natural habitats. Incursions like roads, development, dams, and needless hunting are part of the problem


David Amos
Reply to @David Amos: BINGO 
 

David Amos
Reply to @Ray Oliver: Methinks Higgy et al should have considered the ramifications of rampant clear cutting if you dudes didn't want moose in Quispamsis N'esy Pas?
























George Smith
This type of action Dam removal is not Restoring an ecosystem It's destroying one. Nature has adapted and since 1919 has become nature's ecosystem for a hundred years. In Saint John a beautiful Red Head Marsh had a small barrier removed and the entire marsh is now a dead zone to life that flourished their for well over 70 years. Another mistake by the naturalists. Returning to the past just makes nature suffer twice for human actions.


Wayne Wright 
Reply to @George Smith: Don't forget the Causeway to Riverview! A "New Eco System" grew over 40+ years but has been running free for a decade or more after gates were opened but soon to be torn out and a new channel created under the new 'under construction' 2nd bridge due to open in Fall of 2021.


Dan Stewart 
Reply to @George Smith: It won't take long for the area above the dam to return to normal and no one will be the worst for it. As for the barrier in the Redhead Marsh..2as that not installed by Ducks Unlimited in the 1980'S AND removed by them when shown to hsve been detrimental to fish and their habitat?


James Hickey
Reply to @Dan Stewart: they should have consulted and involved the local residents. The province offered to repair the dam and build a fish ladder. The city nor the groups are being totally honest.


David Amos
Reply to @James Hickey: Surprise Surprise Surprise































keith moore
The only species that will go up that creek, when the dam is removed, are lamprey eels to slaughter the existing trout that are plentiful there now.


Jeff LeBlanc 
Reply to @keith moore: do you work for DFO or have a degree in marine biology? Because it not I don't want to hear it.


JoeBrown 
Reply to @Jeff LeBlanc: He trusts his own science because it is easy to understand.


JoeBrown 
Reply to @JoeBrown: He only trusts his own science because it is easier to understand.


keith moore 
Reply to @Jeff LeBlanc: I'm guessing you've never fished or swam in the Nashwaak. Or maybe never have seen a Lamprey. They are an invasive species that kill every thing. You don't need a degree, if you have experience.


David Amos
Reply to @keith moore: Well put





























bert day
If you read an article like this and come across the word 'group' anywhere in it, expect delays and huge expense. It sounds simple enough, but, it won't be.


SarahRose Werner
Reply to @bert day: You want one person to go out with a sledgehammer and take the dam down all by themselves?


bert day 
Reply to @SarahRose Werner: Sarah. The 'group' will argue for two years about where the person with the hammer should start, what size hammer to use, whether the person is qualified to swing a hammer, and, if she is carrying enough insurance. Not to mention where to put the portapottie.


James Hickey
Reply to @SarahRose Werner: I have lived next to the dam for decades and have dealt with the city and I have no confidence in the folks at city hall this is from experience. I am not totally against removing the dam but there are issues that need resolving. ASF and Nathan Wilbur also want to poison mirimachi lake. These folks are always eager to do something in someone elses back yard but would howl if anyone touched their favorite spot


David Amos
Reply to @James Hickey: I concur


David Amos
Reply to @bert day: Everybody knows you are not joking



























Norman Hall
Now that’s the real “progress of man”. Good stuff. As stated in the article, Maine is a great example to follow.


James Hickey 
Reply to @Norman Hall: there are bigger bangs for the buck such as reducing clear cutting or topsoil mining along the nashwaak


David Amos
Reply to @James Hickey: Oh So True










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