Groundbreaking at Massachusetts' McLaughlin Fish Hatchery

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

                                 Please join Massachusetts anglers, Mass Wildlife staff, and state and local officials on Wednesday, April 27 at 11:00 A.M. at the McLaughlin Fish Hatchery (90 East Street in Belchertown) for a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate construction of a nearly mile-long water pipeline and hydropower turbine that will supply six

million gallons of water daily to the hatchery. As the Commonwealth's largest hatchery, McLaughlin requires cold, clean water to grow thousands of pounds of trout each year. The pipeline will reduce the hatchery's electrical demand by 588,000 kilowatt hours annually, and produce an additional 440,000 kilowatt hours of renewable energy for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). Representing a cooperative effort between Mass Wildlife and the MWRA, funding for the project comes from MWRA bond funds, Mass Wildlife's Inland Fish and Game Fund, and grants from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and the Department of Energy Resources.