Dingle road culvert repaired in Worthington

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

WORTHINGTON - A road closed for five years after being damaged by a flood was reopened this week, completing a multi-partner brook restoration effort aimed at not only repairing the damage but restoring the fish and wildlife movement in Bronson Brook.

In October 2003, a storm left a 10-foot rift alongside the Dingle Road culvert, spurring efforts to quickly repair the damage. Soon after the flood was reported, volunteers led by Riverways, the Westfield River Watershed Association and The Nature Conservancy performed an extensive study of culverts in the area that prevent fish and wildlife movement, and they found the Dingle Road culvert was among the worst in the region.

Brian Graber, associate director of the Northampton-based American Rivers River Restoration Program, said the culvert study created a unique situation where both local environmentalists and town officials had a common goal: to install an effective, innovative, fish-friendly culvert that allows full fish and wildlife passage underneath Dingle Road.

"We were hoping to have this be a demonstration project for other towns around the state to model their future projects after," said Graber. "It is a great example of how to appropriately do a stream crossing for a road, and at the same time preserve future generations of aquatic species."

In the past, during the summer months, the water level below the road would drop dramatically and naturally flowing debris would block the pathway for fish and other wildlife. Now, the new fish-friendly culvert is wider than the brook and is bottomless, which allows a variety of fish and wildlife to move through the site as if the road were not even there.

According to Selectman Evan Johnson, without the support of environmentalists, the project could have been far more costly for the town.

"We originally thought that repairing the culvert would cost the town half a million dollars, which was really not feasible for our small town budget," said Johnson in a prepared statement. "Because we were interested in improving habitat in Bronson Brook at the same time, we were able to qualify for grants that wouldn't normally go toward roadway projects. The (river groups) really guided us through the process. Without them, this project could not have been done."

With a final total cost of $245,000 to engineer and construct the new culvert, the project cost much less than original estimate of $500,000. Also, because the project was primarily funded through environmental grants, the town of Worthington only had to spend about $40,000 in Public Works Department services. The Massachusetts Riverways Program contributed an additional $130,211 in capital funds to the project.

Annually, volunteers stock hundreds of salmon fry in Bronson Brook as part of the Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program. Historically, the habitat for Atlantic salmon extended upstream of Dingle Road, but was blocked by the culvert. Adult brook trout, brown trout, and rainbow trout are also stocked at each of the culverts.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.