Burnt Mills Dam Removal Completed - Lamington River

By Nick Romanenko

December 2019

A huge transformation occurred in late October when an old concrete grist mill dam, dating back to the 1800’s, was removed and heavy stream restoration work done on the Burnt Mills stretch of the Lamington River. The dam removal was a partnership between Raritan Headwaters, which owns an 11 acre preserve that surrounds the site, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture NRCS, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with site work conducted by Trout Scapes River Restoration.

The dam, an industrial ruin from a bygone era, lay in a shallow river plain collecting sediment and redirecting stream flow (creating an outside channel that and led to flooding in the surrounding Milnor Road-Cowperthwaite Road neighborhood). The restoration work realigned the river to it’s historical configuration and now has at least two new deep pools and numerous riffles that foster natural stream flow and dramatically improve wildlife habitat, especially for fish. Even a few days after excavation equipment left the site it looks like a darn good fishing hole for the future! Brain Cowden, recent president of RVTU and co-owner of Trout Scapes River Restoration, is very pleased with how the week long work went “This project accomplished far more than the obvious dam removal; it protected critical habitat protection for rare species, allowed the bank to be lowered to better allow floodplain access in high water events, created numerous vernal habitats, and restored native anadromous fish habitat which will be important when the final dam downstream of this former dam is removed.”

Dr. Kristi MacDonald, science director for Raritan Headwaters, explains that “The partnership between RHA and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Natural Resource Conservation Service was key to the success of the project. The engineering plans and most of the funding were covered by these agencies and we had their biologists helping with project development and oversight. RHA stepped in to provide monitoring of the turbidity during the in stream work, which was required to ensure survival of the endangered and threatened freshwater mussel species. In addition, RHA’s work to monitor the benthic macroinvertebrates, chemistry and habitat prior to dam removal will be continued post-dam removal and will provide data on the success of the project. This will help provide support for initiating future dam removal projects.

“RHA’s mission is to protect and restore aquatic resources in the Upper Raritan region. Dams disrupt the flow of rivers resulting in sedimentation, higher water temperatures and lower oxygen. They can affect the health of aquatic ecosystems in a variety of ways including loss of cold water fish and other aquatic organisms, impediment of fish migration, and potentially harmful algal blooms (HABs) when nutrients accumulate in impounded areas. In the case of the derelict dam at Burnt Mills, water was diverted into a new channel where the dam was breached mid-1900s, resulting in erosion of the banks, loss of trees and floodplain habitat, and flooding of the adjacent neighborhood with major storms. Removal of the dam and other stream restoration activities that took place in and along the stream, including bank improvements and creation of riffles and deep pools in the river, will result in better water quality and habitat for stream organisms including benthic macroinvertebrates and fish”.

CJTU, in partnership with other New Jersey TU Chapters, has volunteered member hours in the past to remove invasive species at Burnt Mills, and volunteers will be needed for continued restoration work, such as planting of willows along the banks and future erosion prevention projects. The rewards for the environment and the recreational opportunities that will provide for the public are to be celebrated. As MacDonald remarks “The Burnt Mills Preserve is a favorite spot for recreation including swimming and fishing. The area is stocked with trout by NJDEP. These activities will continue and should be improved, given we expect fish will survive longer in the area and there are deep swimming holes easily accessible from the bank. We hope to see a greater diversity and abundance of fish”.