Notching a dam on Macedonia Brook in Connecticut has opened up an additional 2 miles of quality coldwater habitat for trout in the Housatonic River watershed.
After years of planning, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, the Housatonic Valley Association and Trout Unlimited removed parts of the old concrete dam on the Housatonic tributary on Aug. 27 and 28.
The 2-foot by 2-foot notch in the concrete was removed by DEEP’s Diadromous Fisheries and Habitat Conservation Unit based out of Old Lyme, led by Steve Gephard, supervising fisheries biologist.
The experienced crew had rented jackhammers and a concrete saw to chip away at the dam.
After two days of grueling work they finally reached a point of progress where they felt confident fish could travel upstream through the notch to escape warm summertime river temperatures of the Housatonic.
Macedonia Brook is managed by DEEP as a Wild Trout Management Area.
Funding for the project was provided by Trout Unlimited’s Cold Water Conservation Fund.