Across New Hampshire’s Great Bay and coastal region, VHB is helping communities restore aquatic habitat, improve fish passage, and evaluate aging dam infrastructure. Our work supports municipalities and agency partners as they balance environmental, historic, regulatory, and financial considerations with long-term watershed resilience.
In Exeter, VHB led a full impact and feasibility study for the potential removal of Great Dam, an impoundment dam on the Exeter River tied to the Town’s water supply. The study helped the Town evaluate potential environmental, historic, and financial outcomes while considering opportunities to restore river connectivity.
VHB also completed a biological assessment, geomorphological survey, and restoration design for Railway Brook, a highly impacted urban stream in the Great Bay coastal watershed. The design focuses on restoring a 3,100-linear-foot reach by reestablishing stream morphology, reconnecting wetlands, improving water quality, and enhancing habitat for aquatic life and diadromous fish.
Additional VHB projects in the region include design, permitting, public involvement, construction administration, and adaptive management for Pickpocket Dam, as well as a feasibility study for meeting hydraulic capacity requirements at Reservoir Dam.
