Completed Restoration.   Photo credit- Division of Ecological Restoration

Join us for a tour of the High Street Dam Removal and Bridge Replacement project in Bridgewater, MA. Completed in 2024, this important river restoration project improved fish passage to help migratory river herring reach critical headwater spawning habitat in Lake Nippenicket. The project also included the construction of a bridge to replace the former 200-year-old and undersized High Street culvert. The new bridge can safely pass larger flood flows making the community more resilient to the impacts of climate change. The tour will take a deep dive into the project and the improvements made to the area, including the new public canoe launch at the Stanley Ironworks Park. If we’re lucky we may even catch a glimpse of the migrating river herring passing through the site.

This project was made possible by the Town of Bridgewater, Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game Divisions of Ecological Restoration and Marine Fisheries, Massachusetts Dam and Seawall Program, The Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program, The Nature Conservancy, The US Fish and Wildlife Service, The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and SLR Consulting. The tour will be led by Chris Hirsch and Taylor DelVecchio.

Tour Leaders-

Chris Hirsch the Dam Removal Program Manager for the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration. Chris has been with the Division for almost 5 years and has managed dam removal projects throughout the Commonwealth. He has a Master’s degree in Ecological Restoration from the University of Wisconsin and a Bachelors Degree in zoology from North Carolina State University.

Taylor DelVecchio is an Associate Water Resources Engineer at SLR International Corporation and a Professional Engineer in MA, CT & PA. She and her team at SLR have designed and implemented an assortment of riverine and coastal restoration projects in New England focusing on dam removals, natural channel design, floodplain reconnection, fish passage, flood mitigation, wetland restoration, and shoreline restoration.

Parking and Meeting Place– 151 High Street, Bridgewater (Bridgewater Highway Dept parking lot)

Registration Required– Email director@savethetaunton.org or call 508-828-1101.

Note–  The tour is about a quarter mile in total. Most of the walk will be on flat ground either on a paved trail or park grass. There is one section of the trail that includes some stairs and a moderate slope, maybe a couple hundred feet, leading up to where the dam was located. 

Construction.   Photo credit- Division of Ecological Restoration

TOUR MAP