HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The Ashland Mill Dam, formerly used for hydromechanical power at a flour mill on the South Anna River, is being removed by a private ecological restoration service. This will reportedly allow fish species access to native spawning and rearing habitat.
According to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources , the dam is 13 feet tall. It spans 210 feet across the river, blocking certain fish species’ access during the spring to areas where, historically, their eggs would be deposited and fertilized, after which juveniles would begin to develop.
The department said those species include hickory shad, American shad, blueback herring, alewife herring, striped bass and sea lamprey. The dam has also reportedly delayed the upstream migration of juvenile American eels.
-
A large hickory shad taken on a fly rod from the James River near Richmond, Virginia -
Striped bass, Virginia’s official state saltwater fish. (Photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) -
Sea Lamprey Spawning in the Susquehanna River Watershed (Photo: Getty Images)
Planning documents shared with 8News by Hanover County said that in addition to those species’ inhibited movement, the dam also may limit habitat for some rare, threatened and endangered species…