September 21, 2022 CSCE Monthly Dinner Meeting

Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale

Attendees may earn 1 New York State Professional 
Development Hour (NYS PDH) at this event.

Please join CSCE at our monthly meeting at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale on Wednesday, September 21, 2022. At this meeting, James Murac, P.E, CFM, and Taylor DelVecchio, P.E., of SLR International Corporation will give a presentation on Restoring Rivers in New England through Dam Removal. Please read an overview of the presentation below.

There are over 15,000 dams in New England, initially constructed for industrial, hydroelectric, flood control, water supply, irrigation, and recreational purposes. Many of these dams, especially smaller dams less than 15 feet in height, are no longer used for their original purpose but leave a legacy of negative alterations to the river corridor. As many dams fall into disrepair, they pose a risk to the public due to their potential for catastrophic failure.

Dam removal projects can restore a river and its floodplain, while ensuring the safety of those with property downstream. Over 150 dams in New England have been removed to address environmental, economic and safety concerns. Removal of such dams restores lateral connectivity in a river corridor, thereby improving channel and floodplain function, water quality, sediment transport, and habitat connectivity.

SLR will discuss the typical design approach to a dam removal and river restoration project, with a focus on the data collection, hydrology, channel hydraulics, and sediment management components. SLR will present case studies of dam removals and comment on the lessons learned throughout the design, permitting and construction process. SLR will discuss numerous dam removals performed in Connecticut and Massachusetts, including the removal of five dams along Town Brook in historic Plymouth, Massachusetts to restore connectivity for anadromous river herring migration.