Degradation Description
A 5-foot high dam in the Norwalk River in Wilton, CT blocks fish passage. Dams such as this one not only act as a barrier to fish, they alter the habitat by increasing water temperature, reducing dissolved oxygen, and provide refuge for warm water fish (such as chain pickerel and large mouth bass) that out-compete cold water fish (such as trout) where their ranges overlap. Dams also provide detention time for the uptake of nutrients, which in turn promotes growth of plants and algae and results in eutrophication.