The Ten Mile River Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Project will restore diadromous fish migration to the lower Ten Mile River, which is located in East Providence, R.I., at the head of Narragansett Bay. The project will provide fish passage over the three most downstream dams on the Ten Mile River: Omega Pond Dam, Hunt's Mill Dam and Turner Reservoir Dam.
Denil fishways will allow anadromous alewife access to about 340 acres of spawning habitat and provide approximately three miles of riverine spawning habitat for blueback herring and American shad. Eel passage structures will facilitate American eel access to upstream habitats. Based on Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) projections, these habitat areas will support a fish run of over 200,000 river herring (alewife and blueback herring). The number of American shad that will return is currently unknown, but the fishways are capable of passing about 25,000 shad.
Construction of the fish ladders at Hunts Mill Dam, Turner Reservoir and Omega Pond Dam is complete. The Corps and RIDEM will work to add eel passes to Omega Pond Dam and Turner Reservoir and modify a minor impediment to fish passage downstream of Hunts Mill Dam over the upcoming year.
For more information, please contact the Project Manager, by e-mail or by calling 978-318-8347.
- Updated: 19 June 2015