MASSENA -- Perras Excavating of Massena has won the $1.7 million construction contract for the Little Sucker Brook Pond Habitat Improvement Project (HIP) in St. Lawrence County.

Perras Excavating was the lowest bidder for the New York Power Authority’s call for bids on the construction of a new pumphouse and water-control structure at Little Sucker Brook Pond.

Perras has substantial experience in similar ecological projects.

Perras has recently done NYPA-funded work at the Wilson Hill Wildlife Management Area and other enhancements to several recreational sites on project lands in Massena, Waddington and Louisville.

“The habitat improvement projects being undertaken by the Power Authority as part of the 2003 relicensing of its St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project play an important role in improving the ecosystem and health of the St. Lawrence River and its tributaries and the overall environment of the community,” said Judge Eugene L. Nicandri, a NYPA trustee and Massena resident.

The Little Sucker Brook Pond HIP, near Waddington, will establish a connection between the pond and the St. Lawrence River to allow access for northern pike and other fish, and is intended to create a diverse ecosystem in the pond with a mix of wetland plants, which produce oxygen and provide cover and food for fish and other aquatic species and wildlife.

Specifically, the HIP will provide the ability to control the water level in Little Sucker Brook independent of water levels in the St. Lawrence River. It will isolate the brook from the river by sealing existing culverts. In addition, a new box culvert will be installed under Route 37 to allow fish passage to the St. Lawrence River.

The water levels in the pond will be controlled by construction and installation of the new pumphouse and stop logs with the new box culvert.

“The Power Authority’s responsible stewardship of the St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project includes our carrying out of commitments under the project’s relicensing for protecting and enhancing area fish, waterfowl and aquatic species,” said Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA president and chief executive officer. “The Habitat Improvement Projects at Little Sucker Brook Pond and other area locations are well thought out endeavors for improving the environment and contributing to the varied benefits that the St. Lawrence-FDR project brings to Northern New York. We’re delighted to be partnering with a Massena company on this initiative.”

NYPA agreed to undertake 10 HIPs in northern New York as part of the agreement associated with its 2003 federal license for its St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project. Other HIPs include the Brandy Brook walleye spawning bed project; Coles Creek and Nichols Hill Island wetlands and fish spawning projects; Blanding’s turtle nesting habitat in Coles Creek; and common tern and osprey nesting platforms. To date, eight of the 10 HIPs have been substantially completed.

Just three years ago, NYPA was presented by the National Hydropower Association an Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters (OSAW) Award for its similar efforts for Lake Sturgeon spawning beds on the St. Lawrence River.

As of the end of September 2011, NYPA had provided approximately $115 million in benefits to Northern New York in support of the St. Lawrence-FDR project’s operating license. The benefits include financial support for localities and school districts; enhanced tourism opportunities through the rehabilitation and construction of recreational facilities at state and local parks, campgrounds and boating sites; enhancements to fisheries and environmental facilities and land areas for wildlife habitats; the return of hundreds of acres of property to the community, as well as shoreline stabilization projects; and the St. Lawrence River Research and Education Fund.

Additional information on NYPA’s St. Lawrence-FDR relicensing commitments can be obtained at http://www.stl.nypa.gov/