After Ashland dam removal, freshwater mussel species reintroduced to South Anna River

By: Shannon Heckt

Outlets: Virginia Mercury

Published: June 5, 2026

Words: 541

Last Updated: 6 days, 20 hours ago

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For about 200 years the Ashland Mill Dam, about a half-hour north of Richmond, blocked many fish from moving through the South Anna River. Without fish like herring to attach their larvae to, a freshwater mussel species known as the alewife floater disappeared from the waterway, making them “functionally extinct” in the area, according to Joe Wood with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

The dam was removed two years ago and on Thursday, biologists and volunteers …

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