The state will pay $50,000 towards a study into removing the Cochichewick River Dam in North Andover.
The grant was one of seven by the state Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration and designed to help dam owners assess risks and opportunities and provide the state with critical information for future ecological restoration and climate adaptation planning.
State officials said there are no other dams downstream between the Cochichewick River Dam and the ocean, meaning removal will greatly benefit fish passage. Removal will also protect public safety by removing, what is deemed, a “Significant Hazard” structure within an Environmental Justice community and upstream of potentially vulnerable commuter rail and residential and commercial buildings.
“We saw this summer the devastation that can be caused when aging infrastructure gets overwhelmed by extreme weather,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “A few months ago, we released ResilientMass, our strategy to build safer, more resilient communities in the face of climate change. Through ResilientMass, we’re funding initiatives like this one to support local communities take on these tough challenges and fund nature-based solutions to protect our residents.”
Division of Ecological Restoration Director Beth Lambert added, “There are many waterways throughout the Commonwealth that are hindered and deteriorating due to unnecessary dams. Restoring these systems via dam removal can be a lengthy and complicated process, so supporting thorough preliminary design studies at these sites will help to bring them much closer to realizing their restoration goals.”
There are more than 3,000 dams in Massachusetts, officials said, and most of them no longer serve their original purpose and many are in disrepair. These dams can result in poor water quality, blocked passage for fish and wildlife, increased flood risk and public safety hazards.