Larkin Dam Removal

The Town of Newbury removed the Larkin Road Dam—also known as Larkin Dam—from the Parker River in Essex County, Massachusetts.

The project included three primary components:

  1. Removal of Larkin Dam
  2. Installation of a scour countermeasure beneath the Interstate 95 (I-95) bridge, approximately 1,000 feet upstream of the dam, to address an existing scour condition
  3. Removal of an existing U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gage weir and stabilization of the river channel approximately 180 feet upstream of the bridge, eliminating a potential barrier to fish passage following dam removal

The project’s primary goal was to restore passage for diadromous, or migratory, fish species, including alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis), American eel (Anguilla rostrata), and sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus).

Additional ecological benefits include restoring natural river processes and functions—such as sediment movement—and improving aquatic habitat.

Project partners include the Town of Newbury (dam owner), the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT, the I-95 Bridge owner), the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) and Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Restoration Center, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Ipswich River Watershed Association (IRWA). Other local/regional partners include, but are not limited to, the Parker River Clean Water Association (PRCWA) and the Nor’East Chapter Trout Unlimited (NETU).

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