Eel River

Overview

The Eel River Headwaters Restoration Project was the first ecological restoration of cranberry farmland in Massachusetts. Led by the Town of Plymouth, the project involved 60 acres of conservation land, including 40 acres of former cranberry bogs and another 20 acres of conservation land. The project rebuilt 8,000 feet of stream channel, removed several berms and dams including a 15-foot historic stone dam (the Saw Mill Dam,) replaced one undersized culvert, and placed over 1,000 large wood pieces in the stream channel and across the growing surface to provide fish and wildlife habitat. 17,000 three-to-four-year old Atlantic white cedars were planted in the headwaters area. Managed by the Town as public open space, the Eel River Preserve connects to the 68-acre Russell Pond Conservation Area. Together these conserved properties provide hikers with extensive and varied trail networks.

Date Completed: 2010

Owned by: Town of Plymouth

Area: ~ 60 acres

Highlights:

Restored stream channel
Saw Mill Dam replaced with a bridge
Restored fish & wildlife passage to Plymouth Bay
17,000 Atlantic White Cedars planted
2011 Coastal America Partnership Award

Eel River, Plymouth Atlas, 1830; Documents the existence of several small dams along Eel River, including Sawmill Pond Dam, and the surrounding forest.

Partners: The Town of Plymouth, MA; USDA NRCS; Massachusetts DER; USFWS; Massachusetts EPA; American Rivers; The Nature Conservancy; Wildlands Trust; AECOM; Mt. Holyoke College; Woodwell Climate Research Center; InterFluve Inc. (project engineer); SumCo Ecological Services (construction contractor.)

Awards: The Coastal America Partnership Award was presented to project designers and partners by the Assistant Secretary of the Interior in 2011.

SumCo and Interfluve received New England Chapter’s Restoration Project Award for the Eel River Headwaters Restoration Project from The New England Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) , October 2018.