FORECASTER • January 24, 2023
The Royal River appears stagnant upstream of the Elm Street dam in Yarmouth. No fish can survive here, the oxygen is too low. Testing of the river last summer and fall bears that out. The Royal River Alliance is working with Yarmouth-based Royal River Conservation Trust to advocate for the removal of the dams. “The dams are a constriction on both the flow of water and also the fish and animals that use the water,” RRCT Executive Director Alan Stearns said. The alliance is awaiting the results of a recently completed study by the Army Corps of Engineers on the hydrology and hydraulics of the river. That information will determine how safe the removal of the two dams would be, as well as the impact on surrounding buildings.