Braintree Gets Grant For Dam Removal

BRAINTREE, MA — A new grant will help the town remove the Armstrong Dam.

The Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs recently announced that they have awarded Braintree a grant worth $75,000 for the design and permitting of the removal of the dam. The Armstrong Dam is a former mill pond dam on the Monatiquot River, the main stem river of the Fore River watershed.

It is rated a High Hazard Potential structure in “Fair” condition by the Massachusetts Office of Dam Safety. The dam is on an approximately 30 acre site which includes an unoccupied former mill complex and Hollingsworth Pond (the 3.8-acre dam impoundment).

This project is part of larger restoration effort for the watershed to restore riverine natural processes and provide connectivity and passage for diadromous fish. There is not currently any public access to the site but public river access is a primary goal of the project team which the dam removal will help to facilitate. The removal of the Armstrong Dam, and the concurrent fish ladder construction project at the Great Pond Reservoir will restore fish passage to the reservoir for the first time since the 1800s, according to a release.

Additionally, dam removal can result in improved water quality in the main stem Monatiquot River by reducing water temperature and increasing water circulation. This award will support engineering work to advance the design and permit phase, according to a release from the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Over $11.5 million in grants were rewarded to various towns.

Image via Town of Braintree