Dam Removal Reopens Habitat: Virginia project reconnects 127 miles; migratory fish return upstream

For decades, a concrete barrier on Virginia’s Appomattox River stood between migratory fish and more than 120 miles of upstream habitat. In 2014, its removal changed that. The Harvell Dam in Petersburg was taken out as part of a collaborative restoration effort, reconnecting roughly 127 miles of river for migratory and resident fish, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and American Rivers. The impact was larger than the removal of a single structure. The dam had been the first major obstruction on the Appomattox, a tributary of the James River, effectively limiting fish attempting to move upstream to reach spawning and nursery grounds.A barrier that had stood for generationsThe Harvell Dam had blocked the movement of river herring and other migratory species for more than 70 years. Historical records also point to a dam structure near the same location as far back as the mid-1700s, meaning the site had been altering the river’s flow and fish passage for centuries.The modern Harvell Dam was built around 1890 and was initially associated with mills and navigation before later being used for hydropower. Its removal followed the retirement of the hydropower facility...