FARMINGTON – Last week, the road-stream crossing replacement project was completed along Cummings Hill
Road in the Town of Farmington, close to the border with the Town of Temple. The upgraded road-stream crossing reduces flooding, improves road safety, and provides full passage for aquatic species in Cummings Brook.
“The replacement of culverts on Clover Mill Road in 2021 and Cummings Hill Road this year have provided great benefits for fish populations and wildlife. They have also contributed to a much-improved travel way for local citizens,” said Farmington Town Manager, Christian Waller.
Project partners in the two road-stream crossing projects include the Town of Farmington, Atlantic Salmon Federation or ASF, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Restoration Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Gulf of Maine Coastal Program, Acadia Civil Works, Maine Department of Marine Resources, and. E.L. Vining.
“This is a great example of a project improving river health while also achieving local community needs for infrastructure resiliency,” said John Burrows, Executive Director for U.S. Operations for ASF. Before their replacement, both crossings had a long history of damage and washouts from storm events in addition to being barriers to fish passage.
In November 2018, voters in the Town of Farmington approved plans for the Town to work in partnership with ASF to replace the two road-stream crossings on Clover Mill and Cummings Hill Roads and to remove the Walton’s Mill Dam and improve Walton’s Mill Park. The work in Temple Stream is part of a broader effort to improve public infrastructure and restore habitat connectivity for native fish and wildlife throughout the Sandy River watershed, which is critical habitat for endangered Atlantic salmon.
The $750,000 in construction funding for the two road-stream projects include the NOAA Community-based Restoration Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Fish Passage Program, Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s Municipal Stream Crossing Upgrade Grant Program, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Maine Audubon, Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, Cascade Foundation, Trout and Salmon Foundation, Maine Department of Marine Resources, and private sources.
ASF has worked for several years with town staff and a citizen committee to finalize the major renovation plan for Walton’s Mill Park and construction is scheduled to begin at the site in spring 2022. The park improvements include a new washroom and pavilion, lighted pathways, and interpretive signage along with full landscaping with native plants. The dam’s removal will improve water quality and the ecological health of Temple Stream, while reconnecting 52 miles of stream habitat with the Sandy River. The project will provide significant benefits for endangered Atlantic salmon, Eastern brook trout, and several other aquatic species.
For more information, please contact:
Maranda Nemeth, Atlantic Salmon Federation Office: (207)725-2833, mnemeth@asfmaine.org
