Imperial Dam Modifications

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is taking public comments on plans to modify a dam on the Saranac River a few miles upstream from Lake Champlain.

Imperial Dam behind the Plattsburgh High School

The proposal for the Imperial Dam in Plattsburgh calls for decreasing the height of the spillway by 8-½ feet and building a concrete fish ladder to allow salmon and trout to swim nine miles upstream to spawn.

Anglers and conservationists have asked that the dam to be removed or modified for years, saying that it serves no purpose and is a barrier to spawning fish. Derrick Miller, President of the Lake Champlain Chapter of Trout Unlimited, says the dam proposal is great news.

The Saranac River is also part of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.

A public information meeting is planned Wednesday evening at Plattsburgh Town Hall.

‘Lake Champlain’ is a new pictoral history of Lake Champlain compiled by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, and a part of the Images of America series from Arcadia Press.

‘The Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep’ is a casebook and field guide to the world’s mysterious sea creatures offers insight into pop culture and scientific beliefs, as well as advice on how to investigate such phenomena firsthand.