Yaphank fish passage that helps species swim up Carmans River replaces Colonial-era dam

A Colonial-era mill dam that had blocked spawning fish from the upper reaches of the Carmans River in Yaphank for more than two centuries has been replaced by a fish passage, the latest in an islandwide effort to restore natural spawning grounds for alewives, eels and other marine life.

Funded by $2.8 million in Suffolk County and state grants, the project required years of planning, design and cooperation among state, county and Brookhaven Town government, including specialized work that allowed the project to move forward without closing Yaphank Avenue, officials said.

Two other fish passages, or ladders, are already in place along the Carmans River, including one to the south near Southaven County Park at Sunrise Highway. The newest ladder at Lower Lake provides unfettered access for spawning fish for the first time in 261 years. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone called completion of the project “historic.”

“It’s about making the necessary investments to protect the river and return it to its natural habitat,” Bellone said.

As Newsday reported in May, conservationists have been working for decades to undo Colonial-era impediments to natural spawning grounds, collaborating with federal, state and local governments, academia and scientists, to build a dozen passages that bridge the historical dead-ends to freshwater spawning grounds.

Brookhaven Town three years ago completed a similar project at Upper Lake in Yaphank, just north of the latest Carmans River project. “This fish ladder completes the cycle,” said Town Supervisor Ed Romaine.

“Today is a good day for Yaphank but a great day for our environment, and, more importantly, a great day for our marine habitat,” said Legis. Jim Mazzarella (R-Moriches), who worked with Legis. Nick Caracappa (C-Selden) to  bring the project to completion. “It’s the final link between the Upper Lake of Yaphank and the Great South Bay.”

The old dam at the Lower Lake, just off the Long Island Expressway in Yaphank, also known as Lily Lake, had been in place since 1762, used for generations to power saw mills and grist mills, said Robert Kessler, president of Yaphank Historical Society and the Coalition to Save the Yaphank Lakes. Next on his to-do list, he said, is clean the lakes to rid them of invasive species.

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.