Weston Mill Dam Removal (2017)
LOCATION: 1.5 miles upstream of the Millstone River’s confluence with the Raritan River, between Manville Borough and Franklin Township, Somerset County
BACKGROUND: The Weston Mill dam also known as the Weston Causeway Dam was a run of the river dam owned by NJDEP (F&W) thought to have been originally constructed around 1844 when the original mill was constructed. It was approximately 113 feet long spanning the Millstone River and during typical flows impounded approximately three feet of water. The dam presented a safety hazard for recreational boaters and was an obstruction to migratory fish passage, specifically American shad. The DEP and Partners have previously removed 3 other dams as part of the Raritan River Dam Removal making 10 miles of the river free-flowing again.
PURPOSE: The purpose of the dam removal was to remove the hazard the dam poses to life and property as well as opening fish passage to riverine species for approximately 4.5 miles upstream.
FUNDING: Funding for the project was secured by ONRR, NOAA and the U.S. Department of Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service through a Natural Resource Damage Assessment Settlement agreement with Wyeth Holdings, LLC (American Cyanamid Superfund site in Bridgewater, NJ).
PARTNERS: Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association, American Rivers, Conservation Resources, Inc. The Geraldine Dodge Foundation, the Horizon Foundation and the Raritan River Fish Passage Initiative.
SCHEDULE: The Dam was successfully removed August 2017.
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