PAL

PAL has assisted federal agencies with navigating the regulatory process established by Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 for more than 30 dam removal and fish and wildlife habitat restoration projects in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Each of these projects has presented a unique opportunity for PAL’s technical staff to work in close collaboration with government agencies and multiple stakeholders in project assessment, design, permitting, and construction as they pertain to the Section 106 regulatory process.

Process

As part of the Section 106 consultation service, PAL assisted with

• project assessment, design, and permitting
• consultation with Native American tribes and state and local agencies
• extensive historic and archival research about the history of dams, associated mill sites, and waterpower infrastructure
• archaeological reconnaissance survey, site mapping, and subsurface testing
• development of mitigation strategies that avoid or minimize impacts to significant cultural resources, including state-level photo documentation, interpretive materials for display, and creative landscaping approaches that demonstrate the industrial history of the sites.

Selected projects:

Massachusetts: Hanover Tack Factory Dam, Hanover; Talbot Mills Dam, Billerica; Hamant Brook Restoration, Sturbridge; Amethyst Brook Dam, Pelham; Rattlesnake Brook Dam, Freetown; Mill River (Whittenton and State Hospital Dams), Taunton; Plymco Mill and Off-Billington Dams and Eel River/Sawmill Dam, Plymouth

Rhode Island: White Rock Dam, Westerly; Shannock and Kenyon Mill Village Dams, Richmond-Charlestown; Pawtuxet Falls Dam, Cranston; Dyerville and Rising Suns Dam, Providence

Connecticut: Bradford Dam, Stonington; Higganum Creek Mill Site, Haddam; Hollenbeck River Mill-Dam and Fish Bypass, Caanan

New Hampshire: Winnicut Dam and Fish Ladder, Greenland; McLane and Goldman Dams, Milford; Wiswall Dam, Durham