By Rich Redman
It took 5 years of bureaucratic finagling, but construction has finished on the Plattsburgh State University College (PSUC), Saranac River restoration project. A partnership with PSUC, DEC, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the TU State Council and the local Lake Champlain Chapter of Trout Unlimited, brought together a plan to restore an eroded riverbank using natural materials like rock and root wads. John Braico and Jacob Fetterman, the TU river specialists did a remarkable job. John G. Thomas Construction from Hampton NY was the contractor for the job.
The goal is to deflect the river’s energy away from the near bank region and push it back to the center of the river, where it will create a pool to improve salmon habitat as well as protect the shoreline from erosion.
A dozen 20-foot-long white pine tree stems with root wads still attached were brought to the site, 20 white pine logs and tons of quarry stone from the slate quarries in the Hampton area.
A 50-foot rock vein was installed to deflect flows out towards the center of the river, and a pool dug just below it. The root wads will help deflect the river’s energy away from the near bank and a toe wood undercut bank will be formed. (See attached diagram from the Iowa Dept of Natural Resources) The 8-day project was completed on Friday August 2nd, 2024, just before the Atlantic’s will start their spawning run this fall.
Atlantic salmon are native to the river and creating quality habitat for future spawning fish is critical for their survival.
The $150,629.54 dollar project was funded with contributions from:
TU Embrace a Stream program, $11,011.42.
Lake Champlain Chapter of TU, $*,988.58
US Fish and Wildlife, $80,073,
SUNY Plattsburgh, $35,000
DEC with $14,900
Volunteer hours added a contribution value of $4,018.80.
Thank You to all who were involved with this project, it is a great ecological project for both TU, SUNY and more importantly, the Atlantic salmon.
Lake Champlain Trout Unlimited 
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