Operational Plan for the Restoration of Diadromous Fishes to the ...

infrastructure, it does so by protecting important aquatic, wildlife, and surface water
resources. The document was developed for planners, engineers, and designers
working on MDOT projects. There are numerous municipalities, towns, and private
landowners within the Penobscot River watershed that are unaware of the policy and
design guide or have not adopted the guide in their planning, construction, and
repair of road projects. There is a need for municipalities, towns, and private
landowners to adopt the guide to direct their road construction and repair projects.
Development of an education program, perhaps with the aid of MDOT, to get the
municipalities, towns, and private landowners on board is needed.
20.1.3 Identify Road Crossings and Small Barriers and Prioritize Passage
Needs by Site and Fish Species
An outcome of this task is to develop a prioritized list of specific road crossings and
barriers that are crucial for passage of target restoration species. The list will serve
to identify road crossings and barriers targeted for removal or replacement.
20.1.4 Obtain Funding to Replace or Remove Problematic Road Crossing
Structures and to Remove Critical Barriers
Culverts, pipes, pipe arch bridges, or boxes of any type or size can impede
movements of target restoration species if improperly sized and/or installed. A
program to remove or upgrade road crossing structures to alleviate passage
bottlenecks needs to be instituted. Similarly, small barriers can impede access to
spawning and nursery habitats and/or refugia. Once problematic road crossings and
small barriers have been identified and prioritized (Task 20.1.3), funding will be
needed to remove critical barriers and/or replace road crossings that impede
restoration of target species.
20.1.5 Coordinate with Other State and Federal Agencies and NGOs to use a
Standard Protocol and Tracking Database
The State of Maine is convening a state coordinating meeting in April 2009 to initiate
interagency coordination for restoring stream connectivity. The purpose of the
meeting is to broadly define a goal for restoring stream connectivity and scope the
feasibility of moving forward with a dedicated interagency effort. The vision is to
have a coordinated prioritization, tracking and survey effort between state and
federal agencies.
20.1.6 Encourage Creation and Funding of a Barrier Removal Program in the
State of Maine
An extension of task 20.1.5 is to create and fund a barrier removal program that will
address priority barriers in a coordinated way.
20.1.7 Collaborate with Regulatory and Resource Agencies, Lake
Associations, NGOs, etc. to Resolve Fish Passage Issues
Fish passage at both dams and road crossings is a collaborative process, and some
projects are more complex than others. In order to accomplish alewife restoration
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