Definately a fish pass that needs widening .If there was low water in October and November then the fish wont ascend. Then there is the need for sea trout smolts to descend as they migrate downstream
It's such a shame because there are a lot of heavy equipment varieties with long arms and chisel attachments. In the US, a heavy equipment operator makes about $50,000 a year or so. All that is needed is a competent operator who knows how to be safe, which isn't that hard to do. They can stay on the side of the shore. If the equipment arm isn't long enough to reach out to the middle of it, you would chisel out an area a little further out from the edge of the shore (to prevent land erosion) down to the base of the dam to let as much water as possible flow out and reduce the danger of recirculation. Then chisel out the rest of the dam that you can reach from that side from the store, then go to the other side and drive out onto the dam itself and chisel away as you go back towards land. No need to cart the dam pieces away if funds do not permit. That's at least half of the millions of dollars in cost to remove these dams and it's ridiculous. Water will flow under, around and through the pieces of the dam left in the water. The pieces of the dam will eventually erode away considerably with constant water flow and rigid, uneven surfaces in the water all of the time. Either way, fish could get under, around and over remaining pieces much more easily than with it constructed like this.
There must be many of similar waterways across the country. They're wonderful and simple in design but with complex portions integrated. My wonder is would it also be practical to add a small hydroelectric turbine at the head of the water?
Salmon will easily pass at that height better with some colour and a tadge higher...fish reaching the rye-riccal-seven-costa beck-dove & fangdale i know of.....and pickering beck sorry
