Norwich Public Utilities

Fish Lift Live Web Cam | Educational Programs

About the Fish Lift

Norwich Public Utilities offers tours of its Greeneville Dam fish lift starting the last week of April and running through June 29th. This is the best time to see a number of native species make their way upstream utilizing the NPU fish lift.

Fish Lift Schedule for Viewing on our Web cam
7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

* Please note: the fish lift operation is dictated by river levels and may be shut down at times due to high water levels.

Every spring, thousands of fish make their way upstream to spawn. However, the Greeneville Dam was one obstacle the fish could not cross. Norwich Public Utilities, working with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, determined that a fish lift was needed to handle the expected numbers of migrating fish. Construction of the fish lift was completed in 1996 at a cost of $2.5 million.

Target species include the American and Gizzard Shad, Alewife, Blueback Herring and Sea-run Brown Trout. In 1998, when the lift was put into full operation, over 5,000 American Shad were passed through the fish lift. Norwich Public Utilities has also added an eel ladder to aid in the upstream migration of the American eel.

How the Fish Lift Works

Fish are initially attracted to the V-trap area by an attraction flow. The V-trap leads to the hopper collection area and the main hopper. The main hopper is the "lift" which brings the fish over the man made obstacle imposed by the dam. When the hopper reaches the top, the fish are released into the exit channel to continue their trip upstream. Fish can be seen in the exit channel from the counting house. Visitors are invited to watch the fish through the viewing window as they continue their trip upstream.

Why is the Fish Lift Important?

Why go through all this effort? Because it is important to aid in conservation! Fish must migrate upstream to spawn. Without the assistance of the fish lift, this migrating process was in jeopardy and resulted in a drastic decrease in the fish population. The fish lift also offers an opportunity for Department of Environmental Protection biologists to observe, or "count" the fish species passing by the window, thus allowing them to monitor the healthiness of the river. The benefit of having this lift has already been noticed – in four short years, the amount of fish being lifted has tripled!

Watch the Fish Lift

From the end of April through the month of May, you can click on this link to watch a live web cam of the fish lift.

About the Greeneville Dam

The area of Norwich known as Greeneville takes its name from William Greene whom was instrumental in the development of the area. William Greene purchased land on both sides of the Shetucket River in 1826 for the purpose of development. In 1828 he transferred the land to the Norwich Water Power Company, where he was the largest shareholder. Construction began on the original dam in 1829; remains of this dam can still be seen approximately 1200 feet upstream of the present dam. By 1833, the dam and canals were finished and capable of providing power to 40-50 thousand spindles.

Mills were quickly built along the Shetucket River during the mid-1800s to take advantage of the waterpower. The Quinebaug Company was established in 1831 to make cotton cloth. Purchased in 1838 by the Shetucket Company it continued to produce cotton cloth until the 1920’s. The Chelsea Manufacturing Company, established in 1840, claimed in 1860 to be the largest paper mill in the world, employing 180 people. Durfy & Mowry’s merchant grist mill, Johnson & Miller’s cotton mill and the Norwich Bleaching & Calendering Co., a textile finishing firm, were all soon established along the river. Norwich became known for its paper and cloth manufacturers.

In 1880, Hiram Cook, the new president of the Norwich Water Power Company started work on a new dam at a cost of $60,000. The headgates were widened to increase the water capacity of the canal to a depth of 10 feet. The dam was 339 feet across and composed of rubble masonry with a granite coping. In 1886, a disastrous flood took out 68 feet of the new dam, resulting in repairs made using wood cribbing filled with stone. Similar construction was utilized in 1915 when the dam was reconstructed and is still in use today. The gate mechanisms, installed in 1918, are still in use today.

In 1961 Norwich Public Utilities purchased the Greeneville Dam with the intent of building a new hydroelectric station. The new station was completed in 1966 with a unit built by Allis Chalmers, rated at 1999 horsepower.

Today, the Greeneville Dam is a haven for fishermen and nature lovers alike. Accessible from Eighth Street just past the bridge, Norwich Public Utilities maintains a boat launch area that offers fishermen access to some of the best fishing in the area! However, fishing within a 200-foot radius of the fish lift area is prohibited.

History of the Occum Dam

In 1864, Moses Pierce and L. W. Carroll of Norwich formed the Occum Company and purchased several acres of land with water privileges on the Shetucket River. They constructed a dam that was 14 feet high and 800 feet long, with a 2,000 foot long canal built along the west bank of the river. The canal was designed to provide water flow to two woolen mills situated
on the Shetucket.

The first mill, built by Joseph Converse and Sons, was in operation until it burnt in 1982 and was razed shortly afterward. The Occum “Red McKeon” Park now exists on the site where this mill once stood. The canal was buried beneath an embankment in the 1930’s. A lower mill built by R.G. Hooper no longer stands.

The current Occum powerhouse was constructed in 1934 by the Norwich Gas & Electric Company, which is now known as Norwich Public Utilities (NPU). The powerhouse contains a 1000 KVA generator powered by a vertical Kaplan turbine manufactured by Morgan & Smith Co. The hydro unit was completed and put into operation in 1937. NPU continues to maintain and operate
this hydro unit, providing an average of 2,700 – 3,700 megawatt hours of clean, green, renewable energy to our community each year.

In 1938, a hurricane washed out the east side of the dam and spillway structure, along with the traffic bridge. The area of the dam washout was replaced by a new masonry structure which is clearly visible as it differs from the old dam construction.

Construction on the current fish ladder began in the summer of 2004 and was completed by the spring of 2005. The fish passage ladder is located adjacent to the powerhouse and extends along the western shore for approximately 224 feet. The fish passage ladder consists of a concrete rectangular flume measuring 4 feet wide at varying heights starting at 6 feet to about 10 feet, depending on the location. A series of baffles are placed at an angle to the water flow to allow the fish to swim through the flume. A downstream fish passage was constructed adjacent to the project’s powerhouse and intake structure to promote the passage of the target species.

There is also an upstream eel passage ladder system adjacent to the fish passage ladder. The purpose of these fish passages is to restore the natural fish migration in the Shetucket River. Target fish species include American Shad, Alewife, Blueback Herring, and the American Eel. Because the fish passage systems help restore the river back to its natural state, the Norwich Public Utilities’ Board of Utilities Commissioners dedicates the fish passages to the Native peoples who inhabit this area.

About the Shetucket River

The Shetucket River (loosely translated as "the land between two rivers “ in the Mohegan-Pequot language) has been used by the Pequot, Mohegan and Nipmuck peoples and their ancestors for hundreds of years for fishing, transportation and village sites. The annual fish runs of anadromous fish such as shad, alewife and eel have always been an important resource for the Native peoples of Eastern Connecticut.

During the spring, Native groups throughout Eastern Connecticut would come together at the narrows and falls of the Shetucket River to establish spring fishing camps, construct fish weirs and net or spear fish which they would dry for future use. These gatherings also served an important social function, as the rich fish harvests would allow many small groups to come together for a period of time to exchange information, get to know one another, renew old relationships and forge new ones.