Fish reefs to be built on Monongahela River

Work is scheduled to start Monday on a project to build stone fish reefs along the Monongahela River near Elizabeth, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

This is the first of five segments of a $2.4 million contract that will install fish reefs at various sites along on the Monongahela River. The work is slated to begin between Victory Hills and the city of Monongahela and continue downstream near Clairton, according to the U.S. Arms Corps of Engineers.

The goal, officials said, is to mitigate habitat loss that will result from removing Elizabeth Locks and Dam. The dam — which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built between 1905 and 1907 — will be removed to equalize upstream and downstream river levels.

It will create 30 miles of “unimpeded navigable waterways for everyone navigating the river between Charleroi and Braddock,” Steve Fritz, the district’s megaproject program manager, said in a news release. Work is expected to begin in mid-2024.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded an approximately $30 million contract for the dam’s removal to Pittsburgh-based Joseph B. Fay Company.

Fritz estimated the project will generate nearly $200 million of average annual benefits once completed.

Officials said a floating plant — described as a barge used for on-river construction — will bring in the stones and install them at the river pools to create the reefs for fish that will be impacted by the dam’s removal.

Construction work will not impact private property along the river, officials said. The river-navigation channel and commercial navigation will not be affected.

“Building these fish reefs will help us mitigate ecosystem impacts from removing the Elizabeth Locks and Dam,” said Steve Frost, the project manager. “We’re excited to see this project move forward.

Each reef will extend 50 feet into the river, perpendicular to the shoreline, officials said.

After crews remove the dam, there will be 52 fish reefs with 3 feet of water over the reef and 21 reefs with between one and three feet of water over them.

“While the fish reefs will not interfere with the navigable channel, once the reefs are in place, recreational boaters should be aware of the locations of the reefs to avoid damage to their boats,” Frost said.

Sarver-based Gregori Construction Inc. is completing the work, which the Corps of Engineers coordinated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services, PA Fish & Boat Commission and PA Department of Environmental Protection.