Bloomsbury, NJ – On Thursday, September 8, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell will join federal, state and local partners for a roundtable discussion and tour of the Hughesville Dam removal project on the Musconetcong River. The dam removal is part of a larger collaboration to restore the 42-mile Musconetcong River to a free-flowing state.
Removal of the 150-foot-long dam built in 1889 will reduce the risk of dam failure and upstream flooding, protect human safety and restore access to one mile of habitat for migratory fish species including eels, herring, American shad, and striped bass. Hughesville will be the fifth dam removed on the river, supported by federal funding from Hurricane Sandy recovery and the Department’s Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration program, to help strengthen natural defenses along the Atlantic Coast. All of the dams removed have been obsolete for decades and have threatened nearby communities with flooding during hurricanes and other high-water events.
In the United States, dams can provide numerous benefits, including water supply, hydropower, and flood protection. Dams are also an important part of building long-term resiliency to help protect our communities and economy from the impacts of drought. However, there are tens of thousands of small dams across the country that do not provide water supply, flood control or hydropower benefits that are obsolete and are no longer serving their intended purpose or providing public benefits. Many of these dams are a burden to local communities, a threat to public health and safety, and an obstacle to healthy ecosystems.
The ongoing removal highlights the nationwide effort by the Obama Administration to work with local communities and governments at the state and local levels, along with private dam owners, to address the challenges posed by obsolete dams. Over 1,000 obsolete dams in the United States have been removed in the last century, with more than half of them removed in the past 10 years.
WHO:
Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Wendi Weber, Northeast Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Beth Styler Barry, Executive Director, Musconetcong Watershed Association
Laura Craig, Director, Science & Economics and River Restoration Programs, American Rivers
Bob Martin, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Jan Gale, Executive Vice President, International Process Plants and Equipment Corporation (IPPE)
WHAT:
Walking tour of Hughesville Dam removal site, remarks and media availability
WHEN:
Thursday, September 8, 2016
11:00 a.m. EDT – Media check-in
11:15 a.m. EDT – Tour
11:30 a.m. EDT – Remarks
12:00 p.m. EDT – Media Availability
WHERE:
608 County Road 627
Bloomsbury, NJ
Parking is available across from: 3 County Road 519, Bloomsbury, NJ
MEDIA:
Credentialed members of the media are encouraged to RSVP here.
Source: Department of Interior
