The Connecticut River Conservancy worked with multiple partners to remove the Blake Higgins dam in Bellows Falls in October 2024. The Blake Higgins dam was originally a timber crib dam built in the mid-1800s and was later developed into a concrete gravity dam in the 1910s. This 90-foot-long and 7-foot-high dam had a variety of owners and uses through the years, but was primarily used for paper milling. Overtime, it fell into disrepair and was identified by the state as being high priority for removal due to its obstruction of aquatic organism passage and disruption of the river’s natural flow.

After 4 years of planning and permitting, the dam was removed from the Saxton River, reconnecting the river to its upstream reaches. Not only was aquatic organism passage restored, but the dam removal provided a myriad of other benefits. Around 750 cubic yards of impounded sediment were removed, and the natural sediment transportation for the river has now been restored. This improves aquatic habitat by ensuring the appropriate substrate is available for fish spawning. Water quality will benefit from the removal as well, since nutrient-laden sediment can make its way downstream without building up behind the dam and colder, faster moving water increases dissolved oxygen levels that wildlife need to thrive. This project will also increase flood resiliency on the Saxon River by lowering the flood elevation by around 7 feet.

This project was made possible by the Connecticut River Conservancy and their many partners including: the VT Department of Fish and Wildlife, Vermont Agency of Transportation, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Vermont River Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, Saxtons River Valley Trails Initiative, and the Westminster Conservation Commission. Additional support for this project came from Vermont Clean Water Block grant funds, The Conservation Alliance, Darn Tough, Bingham Trust Foundation, and American Rivers. The following partners and contractors also contributed to the success of this project: SLR Engineering, Adams Trucking & Excavation, ACME Heritage Consultants, KAS Environmental Science Consulting, and Moore Law firm in Bellows Falls. We thank the Connecticut River Conservancy and all their partners for making this a successful project and helping the Saxton River flow free once more. To learn more about other projects the Connecticut River Conservancy is working on visit www.ctriver.org.

Photo Courtesy of Connecticut River Conservancy