Trio Of Fish Passages On The Ten Mile River Complete

The last of a trio of fish passages on the Ten Mile River is completed, restoring access to 340 acres of historic spawning habitat. Omega Pond dam ladder has proven far more difficult and costly than the Turner Reservoir and Hunt’s Mill in recent years, but after a few delays Omega is complete. Before the ladders were built river herring and American shad were prevented from entering their fresh water spawning grounds by a 10-foot-tall Omega dam near the mouth of the Ten Mile.

The dam at Omega is the farthest downstream, followed by Hunt’s Mill and then Turner. It’s also served up the most unwelcome surprises.
The one that has caused the most trouble is a gas line that was discovered in an unexpected location in the way of the project. 

It’s estimated that the trio of fish ladders will open habitats capable of supporting runs of 200,000 herring and 25,000 shad.

The Army Corps is working with the state Department of Environmental Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on possibly adding some additional rocks to a section of the rapids that may be too steep for fish during low flows.

This is great news for the fishing community and all outdoors people. I noticed a few more people fishing along the Turner Reservoir since the ladders have been built. With the added forage fish in the reservoir this should help the large mouth bass population!