We are very excited to share the news that on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, NOAA Fisheries announced that our Rapidan Fish Passage Project (RFPP) has been selected for $7.9 million in funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. The project will remove the Rapidan Mill Dam and restore habitat along the Rapidan River in the lower Chesapeake Bay watershed. Removal of the dam will open more than 500 miles of habitat for American shad, river herring, and other migratory fish. The project will also benefit the local community by increasing recreational and subsistence fishing opportunities, improving public access to the river, reducing the risk of flooding, and removing aging infrastructure.
The funding includes $1.5 million in the first year to perform data collection including hydrologic, geomorphic, and sediment analysis; to conduct pre-removal fish sampling and a historic resources assessment; to develop an engineering design plan and timeline for dam removal and the stabilization and restoration of the stream banks; to submit all necessary permit applications; and to convene at least two informational meetings for the public. In the second and third years, up to $6.4 million will be available for the dam removal, historic resources mitigation, and at least two public meetings each year to share progress updates on the project.
RFPP was launched by nine visionary founders in 2020 as a once-in-a-generation initiative to remove the last barrier in the Rappahannock River watershed to migratory fish attempting to reach their ancestral spawning grounds near the Blue Ridge Mountains. Since then, nearly 100 donors, patrons, and partners have contributed their talents and resources to the effort to get the project funded. Together we did it! We are grateful for each of your contributions and look forward to continuing our work together as we embark on the next big step in the journey.