Cedar Creek Weir Fish Passage Project – 2014
LOCATION: On Cedar Creek in Lacey and Berkeley Townships, Ocean County, NJ near the Route 9 Bridge.
PURPOSE: The goal of the project was to remove the Cedar Creek Weir from Cedar Creek to provide migratory fish passage and restoring natural stream flow in Lacey and Berkeley Township, Ocean County, New Jersey.
BACKGROUND: The Concrete Weir was previously listed in the March 2005 NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife Report on migratory impediments to anadromous fish. This dam was the lowest blockage on the creek and removal provided access to approximately 5 miles of historic river herring spawning and nursery habitat. The dam consisted of a concrete dam that spanned the Cedar Creek.
PROJECT SUMMARY: The Fish Passage Restoration Project removed the Cedar Creek Weir on the Cedar Creek in Lacey and Berkeley Township, Ocean County, New Jersey. The dam consisted of a concrete dam that spanned the Cedar Creek. The weir was built and managed by the U.S. Geological Survey as a stream gauging station, but recent storm events have undermined the integrity of the weir. The project is supported by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDFW) and funded in part by the NJDEP Office of Natural Resource Restoration (ONRR). The project consists of removing the concrete weir via excavation, removing any debris and stabilization of the upstream channel.
PROJECT IMPELEMENTATION: Weir removal work began on December 5, 2014 and was completed on December 10, 2014. Subsequent site visits by USFWS and Barnegat Bay Partnership identified that the natural stream flow has been restored, the stream banks have been stabilized and all staging areas have been restored.
BENEFITS: The removal of the concrete weir provides access to about 5 miles of river that historically provided river herring spawning and nursery habitat. Fish that will benefit include but are not limited to, alewife, (Alosa pseudoharengus), blueback herring, (Alosa aestivalis), American eel (Anguilla rostrata), striped bass (Morone saxatilus), and other fish species.
PARTNERS: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Natural Resource Restoration, Barnegat Bay Partnership and Berkley Township.
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| Cedar Creek Weir Aerial View of Site |
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| Cedar Creek Before Removal |
Cedar Creek After Removal |
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