Fish Passage Restoration in the Mystic , Medford, MA

Brad Chase -- MA Division of Marine Fisheries ASMFC Annual Meeting, , November 2011 Mystic Lakes

• Severely altered urban watershed • Highly ranked restoration project

• Water resources have multiple uses • Influential outreach effort

• Habitat assessment finds impairment • Dam reconstruction provides rare opportunity • Results in unique fish passage improvements Mystic Lakes 1838 -- 1st of many leather processing mills. 1864 -- Mystic Dam built for water supply. 1908 -- Craddock Dam built in Medford Square. 1967 -- Amelia Earhart Dam built at tidal interface. Mystic Lakes Dam

-- Dam owned by Mass. DCR -- Targeted for decades for reconstruction Mystic Lakes Bucket Brigade, 2005-2009 http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/publications/technical.htm

Diadromous Fish QAPP Objectives

1. Provide standardized sampling protocols.

2. Guid ance for dia dromous fis h ha bita t res tora tion.

3. Prod uce dtdata thtithat is accep tblttable to MassDEP waterbody assessments.

4. Develop criteria for classifying and protecting diadromous fish habitat . Habitat CCfCriteria and Classification

Life History

MassDEP SWQC

US EPA Nutrient Criteria Watershed Association Lake Nutrient Measurements N = 10

Total Nitrogen Total Phosphorus 1.3 40 1.2 35 1.1 1.0 30 0.9 0.8 25 g/L

0.7 g/L u mm 20 0.6 TP TN 0.5 15 0.4 0.3 10 0.2 5 0.1

0.0 0 Upper Mystic Silver Lake Upper Mystic Silver Lake Figure xx. Water column profiles for dissolved oxygen at station MYS3 in the Mystic Upper Lake, 2007-2008. The measurements made in 2007 are marked with black symbols.

DO mg/L 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 0

5 Depth (m) 10 May-08 Jun-08 Jul-08 Aug-08 15 Sep-08 Jun-07 Jul-07 Mass DEP 20 Aug- 07 SWQS Sep-07

25 Summary of river herring habitat assessment at the Upper Mystic Lake, 2007-2008.

Sample PtParameter UitUnits Size AtblAcceptable EdExceedance Class ificati on (No.) Criteria (%) Temp. (nursery) °C 50 <28.3 0 Suitable Temp. (spawning) °C 27 <26.0 1 Suitable DO mg/L 70 >5.0 26 Impaired pH SU 87 6.5 to <8.3 3 Suitable Secchi m 26 >2.0 35 Impaired N+N mg/L 10 <0.32 100 Impaired TP ug/L 10 <8.0 100 Impaired

Fish Passage NA 9 BPJ 100 Impaired Stream Flow NA 9 BPJ 100 Impaired

Notes: 1. Bottom measurements were excluded from DO classification due to QAPP exemption. 2. Impaired classifications result from exceedances >10% at transect stations during two seasons. 3. The US EPA TN criterion was adopted for N+N measurements. Mystic Lakes Bucket Brigade, 2007 Dam Construction, 2010 Dam Construction, 2011

Completion – Spring 2011

Eel Passage Eel Passage, 2007-2010 Juvenile Downstream Passage

-- experience will contribute to future designs and applications. Operations and Maintenance

• Passage protocols included in dam O&M

• Draft O&M under review by DCR and DMF

• Adult herring spawning • ElEel passage • Juvenile herring emigration Signs of Success

1. Access to 165 acres 2. Integrated eel passage 3.Dedicated ju ve nile passage facilities and operations Next Steppgpjg: Monitoring projects for herring and eels with Mystic River Watershed Association