Little River Stream Naturalization and Restoration

The Little River Stream Naturalization and Restoration  Project is moving toward completion. Started in August of this year, the project, located on the westerly side of Essex Avenue where it crosses over an inlet to the Little River, will remove the remains of a decaying concrete fish ladder and an unused water treatment lagoon installed in 1969.

The fish ladder was intended to assist alewife, smelt and other species to reach Lily Pond, their historic spawning ground. However, over the years the decay of the concrete ladder had become more of a hindrance than a help. The project will restore the natural flow of the stream, eliminate the related unused lagoon and provide a more natural upstream route for  spawning fish. Reduction in future operational and maintenance expenses for the system is expected.

The City of Gloucester  partnered with the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service, the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration, the Massachusetts Audubon Society and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the development and implementation of the project.