MARLBOROUGH, MA — State and local leaders have teamed up to secure federal funding for research on a dam on the Sudbury and Marlborough border.
State Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Middlesex and Worcester) announced on Thursday that leaders from Sudbury and Marlborough have partnered with Sen. Ed Markey to secure Federal Emergency Management Agency money to study the future of Hager Pond Dam.
The dam on the northeast side of Hager Pond has been deemed one of the most unsafe in the state, according to Sen. Eldridge. The dam is just a few yards from Route 20 and Wayside Inn Road.
"It was obviously built during one of the industrial revolutions," said Sen. Eldridge. "But now there’s concern that if this dam behind me broke, much of the area, including the Wayside Inn area...many homes and businesses could be flooded.”
An Associated Press investigation from 2018 revealed that Hager Pond Dam was one of at least 39 dams in Massachusetts in poor or unsafe condition, Patch previously reported.
Multiple groups have partnered to help secure the funding, including the legislative delegations in Marlborough and Sudbury, the Hop Brook Protection Association and OARS for the Sudbury, Assabet and Concord Rivers.
Sen. Eldridge said now that FEMA has provided funding, the group is working with Department of Conservation & Recreation to potentially secure a matching amount.
"The important conversation is whether we should be restoring this river to its natural habitat to better support fish life, recreation," Sen. Eldridge said, referencing the next steps for the project.
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