Press Release:

September 15, 2014

Contact: Lewis Creek Association
Marty Illick, Director
425 2002

Lake Champlain Aquatic Habitat Connectivity Project
Improving Fish Passage in the Lewis Creek Watershed
Lewis Creeks Scott Pond Dam Location
Lewis Creek Road, Charlotte, Vermont


Scott Pond Dam August 2014 September 2014 after streambed work aimed to ease
Steelhead and Land Locked Salmon passage

Lewis Creek has been recognized by Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service as a high conservation priority stream and a potential salmonid fishery. Salmon have
been stocked in the cool headwater reaches and preliminary results indicate that these fish are
successfully smolting and leaving the system. However, late fall spawning fish could not access prime
nursery locations.

A self-sustaining salmonid fishery in Lewis Creek has not currently been possible because of the Scott
Pond barrier design that was developed to limit sea lamprey access to upstream reaches. A fish by-pass
had been developed at this structure in 1990 for steelhead runs. However, the lower fall flows did not
accommodate Steelie or Land locked salmon passage.
A new deeper and smooth surface downstream plunge pool design was created to improve successful
fish passage and access to 5 more miles of the middle reaches of Lewis Creek. The new design
accommodates salmon fall spawning runs and a more self-sustaining river fishery. The new streambed
plunge pool and attraction waters to provide passage for fall spawning runs of landlocked Atlantic salmon.

Funding for this project came from the Trout Unlimited, VT ANR and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Contracting and construction support came from Milone and McBroom, Inc. and Champlain Construction.
Landowner support came from Terry Dinnan and Marty Illick. Lewis Creek Association has followed this
project which began quite a number of years ago, shared stream conditions data and hosted meetings
along the way.