Lake Champlain Trout Unlimited

By Richard Redman
This article was originally published on Outdoor News.

In the past, New Yorkers were primarily concerned with developing our economy with factories, housing, shopping malls, and industrial growth. That growth gave us jobs, power, and the American way of life. The advancements also had repercussions, we accumulated and tossed away goods. We are a throw-away society. Throwing garbage over the bank was normal back then. Now, we fill landfills and recycle as much as possible. Sewer pipes carried human waste directly to the rivers. Thankfully, now we have pipelines which carry the waste to sewage treatment plants. Rivers no longer carry human and industrial waste to be flushed away to the lake. What was legal at that time is no longer. The times have changed; our environment is now a priority.

As a Trout Unlimited member, our concern is with rivers and cold-water fisheries. As anglers, we witness the changes in river flows, quality, and fish habitat. The Saranac River in Plattsburgh has gone through changes over the years. At one time logs were driven down the river, then there were small dams for sawmills. Electric power was needed for the factories, so larger stone and concrete dams were built. Industry came and went, poor decisions, bad economics, taxes and changing trends and crazes drove business out. However, the remnants of those businesses still remain. Those dams stopped all landlocked Atlantic salmon from reproducing. Their populations plummeted! 

Along with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and Trout Unlimited, we have been able to remove obstacles from the river. As a team we have been able to open sections of the river and improve the cold-water fishery habitat.

We have one remaining obstacle in our way—the Imperial Dam in Plattsburgh New York. 

Imperial Dam Rated Class C High Hazard Dam

The privately owned Imperial Dam is no longer in industrial use and hasn’t been for over 20 years now. It is rated by NYS as a “High-Hazard Dam” due to deficiencies in the spillway to meet standards.

Opportunity is now knocking on New York State’s door! It’s time the decision makers in Albany make the final decision. The dam is not being used, it is a Class C High-Hazard Dam, and it prevents salmon migration. The decision should be based on sound ecological and environmental policy. What is best for the long run of the river and its fish? Environmental law cleaned the river up for a reason—to improve the  human and ecological habitat. Plattsburgh City residents now enjoy clean flowing water. City trails follow the river so residents can enjoy the beauty of a healthy flowing river. The legal environmental decision should be to remove the dam and extend the river for the Atlantics. We need to restore the long-term ecological functions to the river, so the salmon rebounds. This is about ecological habitat enhancement!

Dam Options

This is not about hurting industry; no one uses the dam. It’s about having a quality cold-water Landlocked Atlantic Salmon fishery which will benefit the entire region. The dam owner needs to get the dam in compliance at the owner’s expense, or they pay to have it removed. Another possibility is to relinquish ownership and let it be removed. It’s the dam owner’s responsibility to fix the dam, or to agree, to allow the dam to be removed! Repairing a dam that is unsafe and not being used is foolish. It would be a simple decision for the dam owner to let the dam be removed and allow the  river to flow once again.

Atlantic salmon fishing will boost the local economy and be an environmental show piece for fisheries conservation with the dam taken out!

At this time, there are salmon coming in to spawn, but they only have 3.16 miles of river to spawn in. They are cut off from 15.17 miles of spawning water by the  Imperial Dam. If the dam were removed, it would allow salmon migration to the Treadwell Mills Dam, 2.17 miles up with an existing fish ladder, which would enable the salmon to migrate another 13 miles over potential spawning gravels. Kents Falls in Morrisonville is the natural boundary for our historic salmon runs.

Anglers are in the river catching beautiful Atlantics in the 19-inch range. With more spawning grounds, and improved habitat, the Saranac River could be a rival to Canadian salmon rivers. Anglers from all over New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Canada now come to the area, just to fish for our salmon.

Next Steps

It’s time the decision makers do what is right, take the dam down, restore the river and let nature build a beautiful salmon fishery. The salmon have been spawning and reproducing for eons without man’s help. Let’s return the river to them once again and let them propagate themselves. We have interfered with them long enough. 

Trout Unlimited with proudly work with NYS DEC, USF&W Service and other conservation groups to help secure funds and work side by side to get the dam removed and the river restored. TU stepped up to the plate. Now it’s the decision makers turn to do what is right. Step up to the plate. 

Opportunity is knocking, so open the door and make that decision that will benefit the fish, the community, and the people of New York State. Remove the Imperial Dam! 

Note: To educate our community on this opportunity, we have bumper stickers available at all of our events. Check out our upcoming events and we hope to see you at one!