BELLOWS FALLS — Lovers of lampreys will have to go elsewhere for now. The Bellows Falls Fish Ladder Visitor Center is closed indefinitely.
According to a press release, “a huge sewage problem” at the visitor center on Bridge Street on June 6 required a cadre of cleaning staff and Department of Public Works workers to make things right inside and repair underground pipes connecting the center to the Bellows Falls water supply.
Great River Hydro, LLC is the owner of the fish ladder as well as the hydroelectric facility in Bellows Falls. The Nature Museum of Grafton provides staffing and programs at the Bellows Falls Fish Ladder Visitors Center during the summer months.
“We have just cleared out the salvageable exhibit items,” said Carrie King, executive director of the Grafton museum. “The water damage extends to the exhibit display cases, walls, floors, and other surfaces that require professional drying, cleaning and repair.”
It is expected the restoration work will take up to a month before the Fish Ladder and Visitors Center will be reopened.