Three Dams Being Removed From Raritan River

The Department of Environmental Protection has begun its removal of three dams in the Raritan River, beginning with the Calco Dam in Bridgewater this week, according to a release from the NJDEP.

According to the release, the removal of the dams will open a 10-mile stretch of the middle and upper portions of the river for fish migration.

The project, the release said, is being financed and done by the El Paso Corp. under an agreement secured earlier this year to open up a part of the river for fish spawning. According to the release, this is being done for the public to make up for harm done to natural resources by pollution at a refinery and polymer plants used by the company.

The Calco Dam was built by the Calco Chemical Co. in 1938 to disperse chemicals, the release said. It is mostly a concrete pipe spanning the river that carries and disperses wastewater for the Somerset Raritan Valley Sewerage Authority—a new outfall for the waste has already been constructed.

The project to remove the first dam will take about two weeks, and all three are expected to be completed by the fall.

"This is part of a continuing effort by the Christie Administration to protect and improve the quality of waters in New Jersey, and includes a DEP focus on water quality issues regarding the Raritan River," said DEP Commissioner Bob Martin in the release. "The removal work getting underway this week will result in a significant environmental improvement to the Raritan River, making this a valuable habitat for fish spawning, improving overall environmental conditions in the river system and expanding recreational opportunities."

The completion of the dam removals, the release said, will open 10 miles of migratory fish habitat along the Raritan River, twisting through residential, commercial and agricultural portions that include Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Somerville and Manville. It will also open about 17 miles of tributaries for spawning, according to the release.

The other two dams to be removed are the Nevius Street Dam and the Robert Street Dam.

The DEP, according to the release, is using funds from Natural Resource Damage settlements concerning contamination from El Paso Corp., according to the release.