Stewarts Creek culvert (Barnstable, Massachusetts) | weir, wildlife protection/conservation

 weir, culvert, wildlife protection/conservation

4' x 6' x 60' precast concrete culvert completed in Hyannis, MA, in 2013 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It passes beneath Ocean Avenue, connecting the 55 acre Stewarts Creek with Nantucket Sound. It replaces the previous three foot diameter culvert. The $470,720 project construction includes the concrete abutment, culvert, weir, gate valve, handwheel with screw drive and trash screens. There is a 300 yard by 4 feet wide boardwalk passing over the south end of the culvert.
The project will rebuild a degraded salt marsh and an estuarine embayment (open water and intertidal flat) by restoring tidal flushing to the salt pond/marsh ecosystem.

Expected Benefits:
The project will restore pond and intertidal flat habitat to a condition suitable for high quality benthic invertebrate, fish, and wildlife habitat. Low quality Phragmites australis (an invasive plant) dominated areas will be restored with high quality smooth cordgrass habitat. This provides multiple benefits, including: increased biological dicersity and productivity; nursery grounds for marine and estuarine species; increased recreational fishing potential; and increased filtering capabilities for the creek. The project is also expected to improve water quality and reduce the number of beach closures at Keyes Memorial Beach.

See Environmental Impact Assessment, 114 pages:
www.town.barnstable.ma.us/publicworks/CWMP/FinalAssessm...