‘The threat is real’: Aging dams a potential hazard to homeowners and infrastructure across Mass.

BRAINTREE, Mass. — Massachusetts has three thousand dams spread across the state.

Some of them date back to colonial times.

Many are in disrepair, a threat to public safety, and harmful to the environment.

Beth Lambert, the director of the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration within the State Department of Fish and Game, said “There’s nothing more exciting than hearing the excavator and the hydraulic hammer taking down a dam.”

That’s what’s happening to two old dams that have blocked the waters of the Monatiquot River in Braintree for hundreds of years.

“Those dams actually dated back to the days of Paul Revere,” said Chris Hirsch, a dam removal project manager. “He had a copper rolling mill there.”

Hirsch added, “The benefits of the project are reductions in flood and climate resilience improvements, as well as improving habitat for migratory and resident fish species, and improvements in water quality for the community.”

The state wants to bring those benefits to other areas with dams, like along the Quinapoxet River which feeds the Wachusett Reservoir in West Boylston.

Lambert said the vast majority of the state’s dams are obsolete and have outlived their purpose.

“Many are deteriorating and as the climate continues to change, we see larger and larger storms, and the storms put a lot of stress on these aging dams, and aging dams can threaten downstream residents and infrastructure.”

That’s what happened during last year’s catastrophic rainstorm in Leominster.

Two dams were touch and go as the city was overwhelmed with severe rain.

“The threats are real,” said Lambert.

It’s been less than a year since the water started flowing freely again in Braintree and the area is coming back fast. Wetlands that were covered with water for hundreds of years are starting to thrive.

“The amazing thing about rivers is they have long memories,” Lambert explained. “When you remove a dam, the river immediately begins to restore. We see fish returning to the rivers that were previously blocked by the dam.”

Dams are beloved landmarks in many communities. Some play valuable roles in flood control and creating drinking water.

But like any infrastructure, they cost money to maintain.

John Gregoire of the MWRA says the math doesn’t work for maintaining the West Boylston dam.

“This dam is in tough condition. It needs about a half million dollars in repairs and required studies and we just don’t see the rationale for making that kind of investment in a dam that doesn’t serve any purpose anymore.”

The state has removed about 70 dams over the last 10 years.

“Rivers are the lifeblood of our communities and ecological systems, and Massachusetts dams clogged rivers the way cholesterol clogs our arteries,” said Lambert.

As the dams come down there’s also a focus on creating more public access to the rivers by adding things like fishing platforms and hiking trails.

State officials estimate the cost to remove a dam ranges between five hundred thousand dollars all the way up to a couple of million.

If a dam is on private property, the state has some grant programs to help cover the cost of removal.

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