AREA — The Androscoggin River Watershed Council (ARWC) plans to conduct a barrier assessment in the Ellis River Watershed during the summer and fall of 2023, starting in mid to late July. The Ellis River Watershed includes portions of Andover, Rumford, and Roxbury.
The purpose of the assessment is to document conditions at road crossings such as damaged and undersized culverts that block fish passage (of primary interest are brook trout), create a public safety hazard, and/or negatively impact natural stream function.
The assessment will be conducted on the mainstem of the Ellis River as well as its tributaries. The project does not involve any enforcement or regulation. ARWC will assist willing owners through technical assistance and will search for grants and other funds to address issues.
For each site, ARWC staff and volunteers will document features like length of crossing, diameter of culvert(s), condition, height of culvert above the natural stream bed, and bankfull width of the stream.
It is anticipated that much of the assessment will take place on public roads or public Rights-of-Way. However, some areas are likely to be on private roads. Landowners who wish to opt-out should contact Jeff Stern, ARWC Environmental Director at sternjm@hotmail.com, 207-595-0317, or Ferg Lea, ARWC Chair, at flea@arwc.com, 207-240-3143. If emailing, please put “Ellis barrier assessment” in the subject line.
In recent years, ARWC has led or participated in similar barrier assessments in the Sunday, Bear, Little Androscoggin, and Nezinscot River Watersheds in Maine, as well as in the entire Androscoggin River Watershed in northern New Hampshire. To date, nine substantial barriers have been removed and/or replaced as a result of the assessments at little or no cost to the owners.
These assessments are useful in documenting and prioritizing sites; they have led to significant improvements in stream connectivity, and installing adequately-sized stream crossings that are safe for vehicular traffic and are capable of withstanding large flood events. Funding for the Ellis River Watershed barrier assessment has generously been provided by Oxford County.
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