Zemko Dam Removal - Eight Mile River

Along the East Branch of the Eight Mile River, The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut with many partners removed the last barrier to migratory fish including the Atlantic salmon, alewife, and American eel. The Nature Conservancy is currently coordinating a long-term research effort to really get a handle on the trajectory of recovery for this aquatic system post removal of the Zemko Dam. The work to date (2007) has included collecting baseline data under impounded conditions on fish and macroinvertebrates, fluvial geomorphology, nutrient dynamcis, and changes in wetland plant communities. This is one of the few projects in the country designed to monitoring the response of the dam removal on river systems. This project demonstrates a unique approach by The Nature Conservancy who not only secured funding and coordinated the dam removal, but also purchased and protected the entire site along the Eight Mile River - tributary to the Connecticut River in Salem, Connecticut.