The Shad Restoration and Dam Removal Project is currently being undertaken to restore passage of anadromous fish (fish that live in the ocean and breed in freshwater) along the lower reaches of the White Clay Creek National Wild and Scenic River in New Castle County, Delaware.  The long-term conservation objective of the project is to restore domestic and anadromous fish passage and spawning habitat in the White Clay Creek watershed by removing obsolete, low, on-stream dams.  By conducting fish abundance surveys in April and May 2010, biologists from Delaware DNREC's Division of Fish and Wildlife determined Dam No. 1 at Delaware Park is the first barrier to anadromous fish migration. 

UDWRA will work on behalf of the project partners (DNREC's Division of Fish and Wildlife, Duffield Associates, Delaware Park (dam owner), New Castle Conservation District, and the White Clay Creek Wild and Scenic Management Committee) to remove Dam No. 1. Removal of this fish passage barrier will be the first dam removal project in the State of Delaware, will restore upstream and downstream habitat, and will open an additional 3.5 miles of stream to shad and anadromous fish migration.  The design phase of the project has commenced, and it is hoped the dam will be removed by March 15, 2011, before the fish spawning period.

For more details about the Shad Restoration project, click here to view the Feasibility Report.