Robert E. Barrett Fishway - Holyoke, MA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 42° 12.680 W 072° 36.140
18T E 697916 N 4676023
The Robert E. Barrett Fishway is located at the Hadley Falls Power Station at the Holyoke Dam in Holyoke, MA
Waymark Code: WMKVF2
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 05/31/2014
Views: 4
Hadley Falls Power Station is operated by the Holyoke Gas and Electric Company. The first dam was built across the Connecticut River at Hadley Falls in 1849. The dam supplied water power for the mills of the new industrially planned city of Holyoke.
In 1952 a pair of hydroelectric generators were placed on the Holyoke side of the river to take advantage of a 40' drop in elevation between the water above and below the 1000' long Holyoke Dam. Water is diverted from the upper reservoir and passes through a penstock before driving the turbines that generate the electricity. The power is passed through a transformer and then on to transmission lines.
A fishway operates during May and June to lift anadromous fish such as: shad, blueback herring, sea lamprey, gizzard shad, and Atlantic salmon over the Holyoke Dam. Fish swim upstream through fast flowing attraction water to a crowing area. About every 15 minutes a gate closes and the fish are led into an elevator cage. The fish and water are then lifted to the top of the dam and released into a viewing area. The fish are then identified, counted and released into the river above the dam. Visitors can view the operation of the fishway from Wednesday through Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm during migration season.
Holyoke Gas and Electric Company is a subsidiary of Northeast Utilities and supplies power to the City of Holyoke.
River/Waterway: Connecticut River
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Visit Instructions:
Please share a self-made picture of the Fish Ladder and tell us something about it. Did you see any fishes? You do not have to be in the picture, neither does your GPSr.
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