The Androscoggin River Watershed Council plans to conduct a barrier assessment in the Ellis River Watershed this summer and fall, starting in mid to late July.

The Ellis River Watershed includes portions of Andover, Rumford and Roxbury.

The assessment aims to document conditions at road crossings such as damaged and undersized culverts that block fish passage (of primary interest are brook trout), create a public safety hazard, and/or negatively impact natural stream function, according to a news release from Jeff Stern, a watershed specialist with Fiddlehead Environmental Consulting and environmental planner with Androscoggin River Watershed Council in Bridgton.

The assessment will be conducted on the mainstem of the Ellis River as well as tributaries. The project does not involve any enforcement or regulation. The council will assist willing owners through technical assistance and will search for grants and other funds to address issues.

For each site, council staff and volunteers will document features like length of crossing, diameter of culvert(s), condition, height of culvert above the natural stream bed, and bankfull width of the stream.

In recent years, the council has led or participated in similar barrier assessments in the Sunday, Bear, Little Androscoggin, and Nezinscot River Watersheds in Maine, as well as in the entire Androscoggin River Watershed in northern New Hampshire. To date, nine substantial barriers have been removed and/or replaced as a result of the assessments at little or no cost to the owners.

These assessments are useful in documenting and prioritizing sites; they have led to significant improvements in stream connectivity, and installing adequately-sized stream crossings that are safe for vehicular traffic and are capable of withstanding large flood events.

Funding for the Ellis River Watershed barrier assessment has been provided by Oxford County.

It is anticipated that much of the assessment will take place on public roads or public Rights-of-Way. However, some areas are likely to be on private roads. Landowners who wish to opt out should contact Stern at sternjm@hotmail.com, 207-595-0317, or Ferg Lea, council chair, at flea@arwc.com or 207-240-3143. If emailing,  put “Ellis barrier assessment” in the subject line.

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