From the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife:

NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Bob Martin has announced the start of the removal of the Nevius Street Dam from the Raritan River in Somerset County that will further open a 10-mile stretch of the middle and upper portions of the river to fish spawning and migration.

The dam removal is part of a watershed-wide effort to re-establish historically significant migratory fish passage, restore riverine habitat and the natural flow of the Raritan River, and enhance recreational uses.

Fish to benefit most from the removal of the dams are American shad, American eel, herring, and striped bass. Better water flow also will improve flushing of sediments, reduce nutrient loadings and improve conditions for tiny aquatic organisms that are critical to the food web in the river system. The Nevius Street Dam is the third to be removed from the Raritan River.

The DEP's Office of Natural Resource Restoration continues to study additional dams in the Raritan River watershed and will evaluate and implement appropriate options for future enhanced fish passage and recreational opportunities.

For more information on this and other dam removals on the Raritan River, see http://www.state.nj.us/dep/newsrel/2013/13_0077.htm on the DEP website.

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