Long-Term Monitoring to Quantify the Success of River Restoration Through Dam Removal in The Paulins Kill, NJ
Beth Styler Barry
The Nature Conservancy, NJ
Chester, NJ
Authors: Chloe F. Pearson, Michelle DiBlasio, Ellen Creveling, David H. Keller, John Vile, Michael C. Allen and Beth Styler Barry
Dams degrade water quality and alter flow, thermal and dissolved oxygen regimes, sediment transport, and habitat connectivity. As a result, dam removals are increasingly used as an effective means of river restoration. However, robust studies on the multifaceted effects of dam removals are limited. The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey, in partnership with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Academy of Natural Sciences used comprehensive (multiple physical and ecological parameters) and long-term monitoring (pre-removal and at least five years post-removal) to study the effects of the removal of the Columbia Dam on the Paulins Kill, New Jersey, USA. Our hypothesis for this study was that the removal of the Columbia dam would improve water quality in the impoundment and downstream of the dam, which would in turn be beneficial for aquatic organisms in the Paulins Kill.
We performed a total of nine years of seasonal continuous (May-September) instream monitoring of temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), and turbidity at sites upstream, downstream, and within the dam impoundment. We also collected macroinvertebrates at these sites to act as a biological proxy of water quality. Finally, migratory American eel (Anguilla rostrata) and sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) were sampled above and below the dam before removal to provide a baseline of migratory fishes populations while the barrier was in place. The Columbia Dam removal project successfully increased connectivity and allowed for the return of the sea lamprey, American eels, and American shad (Alosa sapidissima) to the Paulins Kill, with support for American eel and sea lamprey population reestablishment, such as the presence of ammocoetes (larval lamprey). Overall, the data collected in this study supported our hypothesis, which in turn supported the idea of successful river restoration through dam removal.
The presentation will show how long-term monitoring can be used to document successful river restoration, highlighting key findings from the study. The Nature Conservancy and its partners recently submitted their findings to Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, which is now under review and anticipated to be published by the end of the year.
About Beth Styler Barry
Beth Styler Barry, Director of Freshwater Programs at The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey has 20 years’ experience in river restoration, water quality monitoring, community outreach, and project management. At The Nature Conservancy, Beth leads development and implementation of major on-the-ground stream restoration projects, including dam removals, from permit application to working with engineers, contractors, and partners for successful project completion. Beth leads the NJ Statewide Dam Removal Partnership. Beth previously worked as executive director of the Musconetcong Watershed Association. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry from Rutgers University and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management from Montclair State University.