Over $200,000 Awarded from Aquatic Resource Mitigation Funds for Dam Removal and Partial Restoration of Brennan Brook in Francestown

Concord, NH –The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) announced that the Governor and Executive Council recently approved an Aquatic Resource Mitigation (ARM) Fund project in Francestown for $202,730.

The grant awarded to Trout Unlimited will support the removal of the dam structure on Brennan Brook to re-establish stream connectivity, improve aquatic organism passage, and restore surrounding wetland systems. Wild brook trout are a high-priority population for restoration efforts and will benefit from the restored connectivity of more than 4 miles of habitat upstream as well as 8 miles of downstream habitat. Brennan Brook flows through the highest ranked wildlife habitat for NH as outlined in the New Hampshire Fish and Game (NHFG) Wildlife Action Plan (WAP).

The ARM Fund Program manages mitigation payment funds paid to offset unavoidable impacts to aquatic resources. Competitive grants fund projects that restore, enhance, and preserve aquatic resources and associated upland buffers across nine watersheds, also called service areas. Over $35 million in compensatory funds have supported 141 projects, including irreplaceable-resource preservation, aquatic barrier removal (culvert replacement and dam removal), and living shoreline projects since New Hampshire’s ARM program began in 2006. The goal of the program is to meet the federal goal of “no net loss” of functions and values of aquatic resources by supporting restoration, enhancement, and preservation.

For more information about the ARM Fund Program, please visit the website or email des.arm@des.nh.gov.