Proposal to Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment

Proposal to Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment/ NOAA Habitat Restoration Partnership

Appendix A

PROJECT SCOPE

Organization: Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

Project name and location: Feasibility Analysis for Willowdale Dam Fish Passage Improvement, Ipswich River, Ipswich, Massachusetts 42º 39' 34.642 N 70º 53' 39.007 W

Project contact name and title: Michael Armstrong, DMF Recreational and Anadromous Fisheries Program Manager

Address: Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Station, 30 Emerson Ave., Gloucester, MA 01930

Phone: 978-282-0308 x 109 Fax: 617-727-3337 E-mail: [email protected]

Project type: Anadromous Fish and Riverine Restoration

Project objective: Modify Willowdale Dam to improve upstream and downstream fish passage.

Project Description: The Willowdale Dam on the Ipswich River has a weir-pool fishway that is in poor condition and provides inefficient passage for diadromous fish. Fish passage improvement at the Willowdale Dam has been identified as a necessary step to restore diadromous fish in the Ipswich River (Reback et al. 2004). Because of potentially conflicting resource uses and high project costs, a feasibility study will be needed to identify a preferred construction option that will meet project objectives and provide the most public benefit. The analysis will evaluate four options: dam removal, bypass channel, fishway, and rock ramp.

(See next page for more details)

Tasks:

1. Contract feasibility analysis on four fish passage improvement options (spring 2005) 2. Receive feasibility analysis and hold public meeting to discuss options (winter 2005/2006) 3. Select preferred option and seek funding for implementation (summer 2006)

Work products and deliverables:

1. Feasibility analysis on four fish passage improvement options (winter 2005/2006) 2. Report on public meeting and selection of preferred option (fall 2006)

1 Proposal to Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment/ NOAA Habitat Restoration Partnership

Appendix A

Project Description: (continued)

Habitat Description. The Ipswich River is located within the Ipswich River Watershed Basin between Cape Ann and the Merrimack River on the north coast of Massachusetts. The Ipswich River is a low gradient river that flows for approximately 32 km through a drainage area of 404 km2. The Ipswich River has been used extensively as a municipal water supply for over 100 years and presently, the impact of reduced streamflow on aquatic resources is a major concern for the river (DEP 2004). The Willowdale Dam is the second dam on the river upstream from the Sylvania Dam which is at the tidal interface in downtown Ipswich. The dam is approximately 30 m in length with a spillway height of 1.5 m. The dam was built in 1900 and presently needs repairs to flashboards and the earth embankment (right side) that has eroded. The weir-pool fish ladder on the right side is in poor condition and is structurally associated with the failing embankment. Immediately downstream of the dam is an USGS streamflow gauge station that includes a weir that may impede the passage of some species during certain flow conditions. The upstream backwater receives much recreational use for canoeing, fishing and nature observation.

Target Species. The primary target species for all four improvement options are river herring (blueback herring, Alosa aestivalis and alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus). River herring have been stocked in the Ipswich River since 1990 by DMF and have been observed at the Willowdale Dam in low numbers in recent years. All four options would also benefit other diadromous species such as American eel (Anguilla anguilla) and lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) that have been recently observed in the Ipswich River and possibly the introduction of American shad (Alosa sapidissima). Although not a target species, several freshwater fish species could also benefit from improved passage at the Willowdale Dam.

Ownership of Dam. The dam is owned jointly by the Essex County Greenbelt Association and Foote Brothers Canoeing, Inc.

Project Design. DMF will contract an environmental engineering company capable of performing a feasibility analysis on the four fish passage improvement options. For each option (dam removal, bypass channel, rock ramp, and fish ladder reconstruction) a scoping design would be required that included assessments of hydraulic changes, downstream and upstream habitat changes, cost estimates, and recommendation on preferred option based on cost, resource benefits, adverse impacts and recreational benefits. The project partners will consequently organize a public meeting to air the project designs and seek public input.

The following is a preliminary list of tasks for the feasibility analysis:

Task 1. Existing Data Collection and Review Existing Data Collection Collect and review available data and resource information on file with local, state and federal agencies and other applicable sources. This information shall include but not be limited to maps, dam safety inspections, dam plans, aerial photographs, FEMA modeling, historical information, natural resource information and current recreational and other uses. Existing Data Memorandum Prepare an Existing Data Memorandum that reviews and discusses the environmental and structural issues of Willowdale Dam.

2 Task 2. Hydrology and Hydraulics Analysis Hydraulic Analysis Conduct a hydraulic analysis to predict water surface and velocity profiles for (1) dam removal, (2) bypass channel, (3) rock ramp, and (4) reconstructed fish ladder. These analyses will be used to (1) determine suitability of attraction flows for the bypass channel and fish ladder options, (2) assess the potential impacts to wetlands within the impoundment for the dam removal option, (3) determine flow depths over a range of flows for the rock ramp option, and (4) determine impacts on recreational uses including the upstream boat launch and potential boat passage for all options. Project Upstream Changes Based on the model, project the upstream changes in wetland and aquatic habitats and, if necessary, suggest design measures to minimize wetland impacts. Task 3. Feasibility Report Preparation Determine Feasibility of the Determine the feasibility of the four fish passage alternatives based on Four Alternatives existing conditions, hydraulic assessment, construction feasibility, ecosystem benefits and impacts, and recreation benefits and impacts. Preliminary Cost Estimate Prepare a cost estimate for each of the four fish passage alternatives. The estimates should include the costs to prepare: (a) preliminary plans and specifications for the recommended project alternative; (b) permit application processing; (c) final design plans and specifications for the design and permit concerns and comments; and (d) construction cost estimate. Recommend Preferred Draft a report that discusses and recommends a preferred alternative for Alternative fish passage, with consideration toward cost, ecosystem benefits, recreation improvements, and water quality. Task 4. Conceptual Renderings and Outreach Conceptual Renderings Prepare conceptual renderings of each of the fish passage alternatives suitable for presentation at public meetings. Technical Support at Public Provide technical support to DMF and other project partners to present Meeting the feasibility analysis and recommendation to the public and other stakeholders.

Restoration Benefits. The Ipswich River system has a rich history of supporting large anadromous fish runs and fisheries (Jerome et al. 1968). By the early 1900s, the influence of dams and water withdrawals had greatly reduced the presence of anadromous fish (Belding 1921). The Ipswich River was identified by DMF as having significant potential to restore river spawning species such as blueback herring and American shad (Reback et al. 2004). There is a large amount of suitable riverine habitat for these species upstream of the Willowdale Dam. Improving fish passage at Willowdale Dam would benefit the passage of river herring and other target species to upstream spawning habitat. The establishment of a shad run could create an excellent recreational fishery in the Ipswich River. Options that improve or restore the run of the river would enhance habitat for resident freshwater species. The restoration of the natural river run with the dam removal option would benefit many aquatic resources beyond the target species. In addition, three of the alternatives could potentially provide canoe passage at Willowdale Dam, an already popular recreational activity on the Ipswich River.

Appendix A (continued)

Potential River Length Restoration. Up to 120 km of Ipswich River and tributary length could be opened for diadromous fish migratory and spawning habitat restoration through improvements to passage at the Willowdale Dam.

Adverse Impacts. The Ipswich River upstream of the Willowdale Dam is used for municipal water withdrawals and a variety of recreational activities. One of the dam owners, Foote Brothers Canoeing, Inc. has rented canoes for many years on the river. Canoeing, fishing and nature observing in the upstream flat water of the Ipswich River are very popular activities. Any alterations to the dam would need to be evaluated in terms of how changes to river flow and habitat may impact existing river uses.

Relation to Previous Restoration and Partners. This project is a continuation of a collaborative effort to restore anadromous fish throughout the Ipswich River Watershed. All project partners have a long history of dedication towards improving the ecological health of the Ipswich River. The Division of Marine Fisheries is responsible to manage anadromous fish in the Ipswich River. We have been stocking river herring in the river since 1990 and in 1995 a cooperative state/local effort resulted in the construction of a denil fishway at the Sylvania Dam. Shortly after the fishway was completed, the Massachusetts State Legislature established a fund (>$100,000) for future anadromous fish restoration in the Ipswich River. This fund may be suitable for the construction of the preferred option identified by the feasibility analysis for Willowdale. In 2003, FishAmerica and NOAA Restoration Center funded a survey of the Willowdale Dam as a necessary first step towards developing a plan for fish passage improvement. In 2004, American Rivers and NOAA Restoration contracted Milone and MacBroom, Inc. to conduct a site visit and brief assessment of fish passage improvement at the Willowdale Dam. This assessment was drafted in September 2004 (Appendix D) and provides support information for this proposal.

Project Partners. NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service Massachusetts Riverways Essex County Greenbelt Association Ipswich River Watershed Association

Permits Needed. No permits will be needed for the proposed feasibility analysis.

Monitoring Plans. No new monitoring projects in the Ipswich River will be conducted as part of this proposal. However, ongoing efforts in the Ipswich River should be listed because of their importance to the overall goal of this proposal. The IRWA conducts an annual river herring count in the Ipswich River at the Sylvania Dam. This effort ongoing since 1999 will provide needed information on the status of the river herring run. Additional efforts will be made in 2005 to record the presence of river herring at the Willowdale Dam fishway. The IRWA is a devoted advocate of the effort to manage water withdrawals from the river in order to reduce impacts to aquatic resources. The restoration of diadromous fish in the Ipswich River fully depends on future management of water withdrawals that accounts the life cycle requirements of these valuable aquatic resources. All project partners will actively work with the regulatory authorities to improve the management of river flows. And recognizing that fish passage improvement alone won't restore diadromous fish populations, DMF has launched investigations to monitor the movements of stocked blueback herring and to identify their spawning habitat and juvenile nursery habitat. This work will begin in 2005 and provide needed biological information for understanding the population status and habitat requirements for river herring in the Ipswich River.

Appendix A (continued)

Literature Cited:

Belding, 1921. A report upon the alewife fisheries of Massachusetts. Marine Fisheries Ser. No. 11. Mass. Div. Mar. Fisheries, 135 pp.

Jerome, W.C. Jr., A.P. Chesmore, and C.O. Anderson, Jr. 1968. A study of the marine resources of the Parker River-Plum Island Sound estuary. Monograph Series No. 6, Mass. Div. of Mar. Fisheries, 79 pp.

MDEP, 2004. Ipswich River Watershed 2000 Water Quality Assessment Report. Report No. 92-AC-1, Mass. Dept. of Environ. Protection, Div. of Watershed Protection, 126 pp.

Reback, K.E., P.D. Brady, K.D. McLauglin, and C.G. Milliken. 2004. A survey of anadromous fish passage in coastal Massachusetts: Part 4. Boston and North Coastal. Mass. Div. Mar. Fisheries, Technical Report TR-18.

Appendix B

BUDGET

Applicant: Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

Project Name: Feasibility Analysis for Willowdale Dam Fish Passage Improvement

Cost GOMC Matching Type of Other Total Categories ($) ($) Match Federal ($) ($)

Personnel (Riverways) $1,500 In-Kind $1,500

Personnel (DMF) $9,200 In-Kind $9,200

Fringe (DMF - 23%) $2,116 In-Kind $2,116

Indirect (DMF - 28%) $2,576 In-Kind $2,576

Contractual (feasibility analysis) $25,000 $5,000 Cash (DMF) $30,000

Volunteer $2,000 In-Kind $2,000

Total $25,000 $22,392 $47,392

Personnel Costs. Massachusetts DMF will commit the following staff to this project: Aquatic Biologist III (80 hours per year @$30.00/hr), Aquatic Biologist II (80 hours per year @ $27.50/hr) to support project implementation, contract management, site visits, and public meeting preparation. These costs will be $4,600 per year for 2005 and 2006.

Supplemental Funds (Pending). A proposal has been submitted to the Corporate Wetlands Restoration Program on this project seeking $10,000 to serve as non-federal match. If this money is received the scope of the feasibility analysis will be enhanced.

Payment Schedule. DMF will pay for costs upfront and submit a single invoice upon completion.

6 Appendix C

Photos of project location

Photo #1: Willowdale Dam, Ipswich River, Ipswich, looking upstream from USGS gauge station.

Photo #2: Fish ladder at Willowdale, Ipswich River, Ipswich, looking upstream on right bank.

7 Appendix C - Map of project location

8 Appendix D - Milone and MacBroom Memorandum

MEMORANDUM

TO: Laura Wildman, American Rivers Elizabeth Maclin, American Rivers Eric Hutchins, NOAA

FROM: James G. MacBroom, P. E.

DATE: September 21, 2004

RE: Willowdale Dam Ipswich, MA MMI #2259-02-6

INTRODUCTION

Milone & MacBroom, Inc. (MMI) is retained by American Rivers to provide on-call professional engineering services as needed. American Rivers requested MMI to inspect the above site in conjunction with NOAA to assess potential fish passage opportunities. The inspection was held on August 25, 2004 during good weather, following heavy rain that raised water levels and flow rates.

BACKGROUND

The Ipswich River is a coastal basin located in northeastern Massachusetts between Boston and the New Hampshire border. It is a low gradient river in glaciated moraine terrain, with a gradient of 115 feet in 40 miles. The river is reportedly hydrologically challenged during dry weather due to water supply withdrawals. Nevertheless, the Ipswich River is used extensively for flat water canoeing and fishing.

The first dam (from the ocean) is the eight foot high Sylvania structure in downtown Ipswich, equipped with a pool and slot concrete fish ladder. Willowdale Dam is the second significant dam and is jointly owned by the Essex County Greenbelt Association and Foote Brothers Canoeing, Inc. A U. S. Geological survey stream gauge is located at a low weir 150 feet downstream of the Willowdale Dam. Data is available at the USGS website for gauge 01102000 since 1930. The watershed area is 125 square miles. The recorded stream flow during our inspection was 265 cubic feet per second, compared to a median flow of 15 CFS. The gauge datum is 20.63 feet above sea level (NGVD). The USGS gauge weir is not shown on the FEMA Flood Insurance Study profiles.

The free flowing downstream river reaches vary from about 40 to 60 feet wide with bankfull depths of three to five feet and observed flow depths of one to two feet. It has a sand and gravel bed, well defined banks, and continuous hardwood riparian zone with a few conifers (Rosgen

9 B4). The upstream channel extends through extensive wetlands with a low gradient, low velocity, sinuous alignment (Rosgen C5).

The Ipswich River supplies water to portions of 14 towns with an average withdrawal rate of 37 million gallons per day. Numerous reports (U. S. Geological Survey, Ipswich River Fisheries Restoration Task Group, and Ipswich River Watershed Association) all indicate that water supply withdrawals severely depress stream flow rates resulting in periodic dry beds. The river reportedly dries at the riffles first, resulting in isolated pools of water that fragment habitat. However, the gauge also shows reasonable spring flows during the anadromous fish migratory season. The FEMA 100-year frequency flood flow is only 22 CFS per square mile, a very low value for a watershed of this size.

USGS data (WRI #01-4161) state that the main stem and tributaries support a warm water fish community of pond species but that stocked cold water trout have survived. However, reports indicate that the resident fish community has been "damaged by the chronic and extreme nature of low flow/no flow events."

The Ipswich River Fisheries Restoration Task Group concentrated on determining the desired flow rates that are needed to support fisheries, effectively recommending a flow regime that would mimic the flow hydrograph of a natural watershed. Providing a natural like hydrograph in an unnatural (developed) watershed would require upstream storage to retain water for augmenting low flow periods and would severely limit the current water supply withdrawals and interbasin transfers. The recommended minimum streamflow rate for June to October of 0.49 CFSM exceeds natural streamflow rates. It is unclear how this level could be achieved unless new storage dams are made. The proposed management plan does not address how or where substitute water supplies are to be obtained and thus does not appear to be implementable at this time.

The presence of dams could help or harm the river under low flow. Their presence helps to provide deep pools that serve as fish refuges, but on the other hand, they prevent fish movement. I would defer further evaluation to fish specialists. The temporal aspects of the period low flow episodes should be further evaluated with respect to fish life stages, migratory seasons, and spawning periods of individual species.

WILLOWDALE DAM

The dam is composed of a (stone?) masonry spillway with flashboards, stone masonry end walls, and short earth embankments. It is equipped with a narrow concrete pool and slot fishladder that reportedly has limited performance. The 100± foot long spillway stands seven feet above the downstream riverbed but had an exposed face of only three feet due to tailwater. A wood flashboard was in place. Spillway discharges prevented detailed observation. The low dam is operated in the run of the river mode and its long narrow pool is used for recreation.

The 10 to 12 foot wide right earth embankment had only one foot of freeboard during inspection and has extensive erosion on its downstream face due to overtopping. Trees and stumps of various sizes are located on the embankment. A headrace extends along the right (south)

10 riverbank from the dam to Winthrop Road. The embankment is in very poor condition and renders the dam unsafe. The flashboards should be removed, embankment repaired, and selected trees removed as soon as possible.

The dams left (north) embankment and abutment have a low grass covered surface with masonry bulkheads and piers used by the adjacent canoe rental shop. It provides privately-owned public access and is in good condition.

A detailed topography map of the dam and adjacent sections of the pool and channel are available. It indicates that the pool is about seven feet deep with a thalweg elevation similar to the downstream channel and a gravel substrate. The low gradient, heavily vegetated watershed is not expected to have a high sediment yield. Both banks of the pool have emergent wetland plants growing on a band silt substrate.

A review of the profile drawings in the Ipswich and Topsfield flood insurance studies confirm that the dam's backwater extends upstream several miles. Upstream areas, some viewed along Topsfield Road, have extensive riparian wetlands. The river bed profile shows a three mile long reach (Topsfield, sheet 02P) with an unusual negative slope suggesting that upstream pool controls exist. It is important to identify if and where hydraulic controls exist and what controls water levels in the upstream marsh.

WILLOWDALE DAM FISH PASSAGE

Several options are available for improving fish passage at the Willowdale Dam, bearing in mind that one also has to address the adjacent USGS stream gauge weir.

Dam Removal - This is an obvious option for improving fish passage and is expected to provide the best results for all species. The pool does not appear to have sediment related issues, and dam removal would resolve dam safety needs. The principal dam removal concerns are historic structures, separate fish passage needs at the USGS stream gauge weir, upstream pond habitat and wetlands, water supply, recreation, and net fishery impact. It is apparent that any further consideration of dam removal at this site should include a comprehensive multidiscipline feasibility study.

Bypass Channel - The general site configuration with low banks and adjacent floodplains lends itself to the potential use of a manmade bypass channel around the dam. This concept would enable aquatic species to enter a channel near the base of the dam and swim upstream thru it to the pool above the dam. A key advantage of the alternative is that it allows the dam to remain in place without altering its appearance or function.

The bypass channel could physically fit on either the left (north) or right bank. However, the left bank does have active recreational use at the canoe rental shop dock and ramp which would require modification, while the right bank has an old mill tailrace channel.

If a bypass channel is used, is could have an entry below the USGS weir and therefore resolve passage at both barriers. Based upon a dry weather hydraulic rise of about seven feet, and an

11 assumed slope of two percent, the channel length would be 140 feet. As previously noted, the river has very low flows during dry weather due to withdrawals. As a result, it would require a relatively narrow bypass channel or use of a step pool type of profile to provide adequate depth for fish at low flow. Use of a narrow bypass that favors low flow conditions limits its maximum capacity and attraction flow as a percentage of high flows. In addition, a bypass channel would reduce spillage at the weir and bypass the USGS gauge.

Recent detailed hydraulic studies that MMI performed at the Howland Dam demonstrate difficulty in using bypass channels if flashboards are used intermittently.

RAMP The riverbanks and upstream impoundment could be preserved, as is, if fish passage is provide via a rock ramp installed on the downstream side of the dam(s). The concept is to provide rock fill with a gradient, roughness, and velocity that enables aquatic species to swim up and over the crest. A key advantage of rock ramps is that the dam and pool remain in place, plus the spillway is stabilized by the material placed along its front face. The ramp could have a concave shaped cross section to concentrate low flows and possibly provide canoe passage during higher flows.

A ramp at Willowdale Dam would not normally extend for enough to reach the USGS stream gauge weir. A separate ramp, notch, or removal would be necessary at the latter site.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. An up-to-date river profile should be prepared to assess if and where potential riffles have been submerged by the dam.

2. A hydraulic analysis of the Willowdale Dam site should be performed in conjunction with a biological assessment to forecast the impact of dam removal on upstream wetlands.

3. The affect of dam removal on river recreation should be assessed.

4. The flashboards should be removed from the Willowdale Dam. They increase the frequency of overtopping and increase the potential for an uncontrolled breach of the embankment. The right embankment should be repaired.

5. The fish passage assessment should be coordinated with the watershed management plan and future flow rates.

2259-02-6-s2104-memo.doc