Long-Term Monitoring to Quantify the Success of River Restoration Through Dam Removal in The Paulins Kill, NJ
Michelle DiBlasio
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 Michelle DiBlasio
Michelle DiBlasio is the Freshwater Restoration Manager for The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) New Jersey Chapter. Since joining TNC-NJ in 2015, she has led on-the-ground restoration efforts to conserve the state’s unique freshwater systems. Her work includes project management for dam removals, floodplain reforestation, and watershed-scale water quality monitoring. Michelle has overseen the restoration of over 130 acres of floodplain forest and the planting of more than 100,000 trees. She developed field protocols for watershed monitoring and has led the Chapter’s 10-year Measure and Monitoring Program since 2016. A leader in aquatic connectivity, she has managed or contributed to seven dam removal projects and plays a key role in building technical capacity for dam removal across the state and region. Michelle also leads the NJ Statewide Dam Removal Partnership and facilitates collaboration across TNC’s Northeast Division’s freshwater teams. She began her TNC career in 2013 with the New York Chapter of TNC and holds a B.S. in Wildlife Science from SUNY-ESF and an A.A. in Communications from Sussex County Community College.
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