Norwich - Fourteen years after the first American shad passed over the Greeneville hydroelectric dam on the then-new Norwich Utilities' fish lift, the state's effort to restore the historic shad run to the Shetucket River has plateaued.
In the 2010 migratory season that ended on June 30, 2,459 specimens of the Connecticut state fish were counted swimming into the room-sized fish lift apparatus. From there, the shad were carried by mechanical bucket over the wooden dam and into a deep, slow moving section above the dam known as the Greeneville Pool to spawn.
Each spring from April to the end of June, shad swim in from Long Island Sound, up the 16 miles from the mouth of the Thames River to its start at Norwich Harbor, then into the fresh water environment of the Shetucket to spawn. If not for the dams in the way, shad would continue swimming past where the Shetucket meets the Willimantic River, and into Quinebaug River as far as Putnam, spawning along the way, according to Stephen Gephard, DEP fisheries biologist.
"When we started, the first year there were 900 that went over the Greeneville dam," Gephard said. "Since then the numbers have stabilized (at roughly 1,900 to 2,500). We don't expect it's going to increase, because the habitat is saturated."
There isn't enough food for all the eggs hatching in the Greeneville Pool, he explained, so many die that would otherwise survive.
"There are just too many eggs being deposited in the Greeneville Pool," he said.
Beginning in late spring, the adults start swimming back out to sea, having spawned and left their eggs to hatch, passing back over the dam through an outfall pipe. The juveniles will stay in the fresh water until the fall, then make the journey downstream to the Sound.
"At dusk in the fall, you'll see them popping out of the water," said Mark Greene, operations integrity manager for Norwich Public Utilities.
Migratory shad runs are more often associated with the state's largest river, the Connecticut, where there is still a viable commercial shad fishery, Gephard said. Fish counting equipment at Connecticut River dams in Massachusetts and Vermont show shad numbering in the tens of thousands, far surpassing the Shetucket numbers.
Increasing numbers of spawning shad in both rivers is viewed by state fisheries biologists as essential to full restoration of this popular sportfish that was once a plentiful and historically important component of Connecticut diets. When the Industrial Revolution brought the construction of mills and dams on rivers used by migrating shad, the population began a gradual decline. That decline has persisted for decades as many of the dams were converted for hydroelectric power generation. Restoration programs backed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and state agencies have included the removal of dams and construction of fish lifts and fish passages, and have shown some dramatic results.
But on the Shetucket, the restoration is far from complete.
The problem, Gephard said, isn't at the Greeneville dam - the fish lift there appears to be working well - but what comes after it. Shad swimming a mile upstream from the Greeneville dam into the Quinebaug River are stopped after about a mile at the Tunnel hydroelectric dam, a facility owned by First Light Power, a subsidiary of the French company GDF Suez. Shad that stay on the Shetucket hit up against another First Light hydroelectric dam at Taftville, and beyond that is the Occum hydroelectric dam, owned by Norwich Public Utilities.
The Tunnel dam has a fish lift, and the other two have fish ladders. These are smaller, less complicated systems than the fish lift at Greeneville that are essentially gradual ramps where a stream of water is channeled for the fish to swim through. All three were built in the last five years as a requirement of the federal licenses to operate the dams. But fewer than 20 shad passed through the Tunnel or Taftville dams last year or this year, Gephard said, and none made it through the one at Occum. The DEP has concluded that without modifications to these fish passages, the shad won't start using them.
"We're not satisfied," Gephard said. "We're going to continue to have conversations with First Light about next steps."
Once changes to Taftville and Tunnel are made, the Occum ladder could next, Gephard said.
"If we can resolve the problems at Tunnel and Taftville, we'll be in a better place to evaluate Occum," he said.
Greene, of Norwich Public Utilities, said the company has been cooperating with the DEP on its fish passage operations, and plans to continue doing so.
"We've always been a big proponent of the fish passages," he said. "We embrace it, and work closely with the DEP to make it work. It's good environmental stewardship."
It's also good public relations for the company, he added.
Each spring, the utility hosts a steady stream of school groups and Scout troops on tours of the fish lift at Greeneville, including the control room where views of the fish can be seen on video screens connected to underwater cameras. The company's website also displays the video.
Running the fish passages at Greeneville and Occum does take company resources in staff time, and during the spring run, the Occum dam generates somewhat less power than it would without the ladder because water flows can't be at the maximum level, said Wayne McLaughlin, control room operator foreman.
"It does limit us at Occum, but at Greeneville it doesn't matter," he said.
Despite that, Greene said, the company believes it's made a fair trade-off between the needs of the fish and its need to generate power.
"It's a complex dance sometimes, but we've got it mastered," Greene said.

Salem - Another 118 acres in the Eightmile River watershed is now protected from development.
The Nature Conservancy announced last week that it has purchased a conservation easement on the property from the Salem Valley Corp. for $300,000, "making it a charitable bargain sale," according to a conservancy news release.
The 118 acres are located off Gungy Road in the southwestern corner of Salem. The property borders another protected area, Hartman Park in Lyme, on one side, and Salem Land Trust property on another. Nathan Frohling, director of the conservancy's Lower Connecticut River program, said there are preliminary plans to mark a trail through the property to enable the public to hike from Hartman Park through the Salem Valley Corp. land to the Salem Land Trust preserve.
The Gungy Road land agreement is the last of four land deals between the conservancy and the Salem Valley Corp. The agreements have resulted in the preservation of 740 acres of forests, wetlands and streams in the watershed, which was made part of the federal Wild and Scenic River Program in 2008. The other acquisitions include a donation of 34 acres next to the Walden Preserve; 550 acres of farmland protected by preservation easement; and 30 acres off Darling Road, Frohling said.
Under the conservation easement agreement for the Gungy Road site, the Salem Valley Corp., made up of members of the Bingham family, retains ownership but agrees not to develop it, and the conservancy takes over management, Frohling said.
Together the properties provide an important link to 7,500 acres of conserved lands, including Devil's Hopyard State Park in East Haddam, the Nehantic State Forest in Lyme and conservancy preserves, the conservancy said in a news release.
"These lands are critically important to the long-term health of the watershed," Lise Hanners, director for the conservancy's Connecticut offices, said. "We thank the Bingham family for working with us to see conservation succeed in the Salem portion of the Eightmile River Watershed."
Frohling said that with the Gungy Road property, a total of 33 percent of the land in the watershed is under some type of permanent protection.
"Keeping the watershed's forests and river corridors in or near their natural condition is the key to maintaining the natural value of the Eightmile system, such as its clean drinking water, natural flood control and wildlife habitat," he said. "Obviously there's more work to be done. There are still some large areas that are vulnerable."
But over the last decade or so, the conservancy, local land trusts and the state have been able to keep up with development pressures, continuing to acquire new properties regularly.
"These lands have been in our family for over 250 years; it's wonderful to think of our pastures, woods and streams being protected in perpetuity," Lucretia Bingham, president of the Salem Valley Corp., said in the news release. "I walk through the woods alongside stone walls and bridges built by my ancestors, and I am proud to think that, in hundreds of years, others will still walk those very same trails."

FirstLight, NPU compete to run facility after relicensing
The hydroelectric dam on the Shetucket River at the Scotland-Windham border should be allowed to continue operations as a "run of the river" facility, but with some changes in proposed dam modifications to better accommodate anglers and migrating fish, state and federal fisheries regulators said in comments this week.
The comments from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the National Marine Fisheries Service were submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Thursday in response to two competing proposals being considered by FERC to run the dam. FirstLight Hydro Generating Co., current owner and operator of the dam, and Norwich Public Utilities on April 5 submitted competing preliminary applications to FERC. Both propose expanding the capacity of the 2-megawatt dam. The current license expires in 2012.
The final applications are due in August. The lengthy relicensing process began in 2007.
Celeste Miller, spokeswoman for FERC, said the agency would weigh the two proposals and decide on one based on "what's in the public interest." This is a unique situation, she said, for FERC to have to decide between two applicants for the same facility.
If FERC awards the license to an entity other than the current holder, she said, "the new licensee would be required under the license to acquire all property needed for the project." FERC would not require the current license holder to sell the dam and associated property, she said.
A final decision is expected by the end of the year.
NPU representatives hope to meet with the DEP to further explain their plans for fish ladders to enable migratory fish to get over the dam to spawning grounds, said Christopher LaRose, operations manager of NPU.
"I think they don't quite understand how our design would work," he said.
The utility will also conduct a meeting for the public about its proposal sometime next month, LaRose said.
NPU has proposed using a fish ladder design not previous used on the East Coast. It has asked FERC to keep the design confidential, not part of the application documents available to the public. It has also asked for information on archeological studies of the site to be kept out of the public record.
In its comments, the DEP said it had "grave concerns" about using the technology for fish moving upstream, which include shad and herring.
The DEP was supportive, however of the "run of the river" design planned by both applicants, because it would generate power from normal river flows without impounding the water and then releasing it, as is now the case. Fish could pass over the dam more easily in a "run of the river" system, the DEP said.
It was also supportive of NPU's plans to improve access to the areas near the dam for fishermen, but deemed FirstLight's proposal to be "deficient" how it accommodates anglers.
The DEP was also critical of FirstLight's fish ladder plans, and noted that a similar fish ladder currently owned and operated at Taftville by the company is performing poorly.
Officials at FirstLight did not return a phone message requesting comment.
The marine fisheries service has thus far submitted comments to FERC only on the FirstLight proposal. It said a specific timeline for construction of fish ladders is needed, as well as modifications to the proposed design. Without changes, it said, fish might not be able to migrate and spawn successfully.
In other recent filings, FirstLight has told FERC that NPU should be eliminated from consideration because its application is out of compliance. NPU's attorneys have responded that FirstLight's arguments are without merit and intended solely to eliminate competition.

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection today is advising anglers and boaters to be on the lookout for the highly invasive freshwater alga Didymosphenia geminata, known as “Didymo” and to take precautions to prevents its spread into Connecticut waters. The call was prompted when the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources recently confirmed that the alga has been found in the northern reaches of the Connecticut River near Bloomfield, VT, and at several sites along the White River, a tributary of the Connecticut River in central Vermont. This is the first official report of Didymo in the northeastern United States.

During blooms, didymo can form thick mats of cottony material (typically gray, white and/or brown, but never green in color) on the bottoms of rivers and streams that can potentially smother aquatic plants, aquatic insects and mollusks, destroy fish habitat, and negatively affect existing food webs. Didymo is most frequently found in relatively shallow streams and rivers having a rocky substrate. Didymo is not expected to be problem in the lower Connecticut River or in lakes; however, it could have a large impact on fish and other aquatic organisms if introduced to the state’s smaller rivers.

Humans are the primary vector responsible for the recent spread of didymo. Anglers, kayakers and canoeists, boaters and jet skiers can all unknowingly spread didymo. This microscopic alga can cling to fishing gear, waders (felt soles can be especially problematic), boots and boats, and remain viable for several weeks under even slightly moist conditions. It is recommended that water recreationalists practice CHECK, CLEAN, DRY procedures.

• CHECK: Before leaving a river or stream, remove all obvious clumps of algae and look for hidden clumps. Leave them at the affected site. If you find any later, do not wash them down drains; dispose all material in the trash.

• CLEAN: Soak and scrub all items for at least one minute in either hot (140 degrees F) water, a two percent solution of household bleach or a five percent solution of salt, antiseptic hand cleaner or dishwashing detergent.

• DRY: If cleaning is not practical, after the item is completely dry to touch, wait an additional 48 hours before contact or use in any other waterway.

Thought to be native to far northern regions of Europe, Asia and probably North America, the geographical and ecological range of this freshwater alga has been expanding in recent years. Didymo has been spreading to diverse areas including British Columbia in Canada, the western US (especially Montana, South Dakota, Idaho and Colorado), New Zealand, and then into the southeast US (Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia). Didymo, a microscopic alga, has also begun developing massive blooms that can sometimes extend for several kilometers of river.

The above procedures will also be effective against other unwanted organisms.

For more information on Didymo, visit the US EPA Region 8 website:

http://www.epa.gov/region8/water/didymosphenia/

or the Biosecurity New Zealand: website:

http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/didymo