The Aberjona River and surrounding area is about to receive $3.9M in improvements according to the Draft Environmental Restoration Plan released by the trustees of the Natural Resource Damages (NRD) program for the Industriplex site. The highlights of the restoration program include major wetland and stream restoration at Shaker Glen Brook, improvement of fish passage at Scalley Dam in Woburn, plus riverine, floodplain, and riparian habitat restoration at Davidson Park in Winchester. The Mystic River Watershed Association is also on the docket for funding to deploy our herring monitoring program, and education and outreach about these important projects.
“The Aberjona River has a long history of industrial pollution—the projects identified in this draft plan will be a major step forward in replacing the damaged habitat,” said Patrick Herron, Executive Director of the Mystic River Watershed Association. “Only by investing in urban rivers and green spaces will be able to make significant improvements for the people and wildlife in our watershed.”
These improvements, especially the fish passage, will have a positive and lasting impact on the river herring migration that occurs in the Mystic River. Last year, more than 780,000 herring made it into the Mystic Lakes. Last year, MyRWA’s herring monitors recorded a significant number of river herring that made it to Scalley Dam but were unable to make it up the existing spillway to Horn Pond. Installing an improved fishway at Horn Pond will ensure river herring have access to an additional 100 acres of high quality spawning habitat.
MyRWA right now is in the process of recruiting herring monitors for the spring 2020. If you want to learn about and help be part of this remarkable ecological story—sign up here.
See the full description of the projects described in the draft NRD restoration plan here.
