Willett Pond Dam One Of 39 In MA In Poor Condition: Report

NORWOOD, MA — Willett Pond Dam, built more than a century ago on the Norwood-Walpole border, is one of 39 "high-hazard" dams in Massachusetts considered in poor or unsafe condition, according to a recent report by The Associated Press.

A "high-hazard" dam is one whose failure could results in the loss of at least one human life. An extensive AP review of records from 44 states and Puerto Rico found that 1,543 of nearly 9,000 high-hazard dams across the country were in poor condition — or worse — at their most recent inspection.

The Willett Pond Dam, built for water supply in 1913 but now maintained for recreation and wildlife, was listed in poor condition mainly because its spillway is inadequate to handle significant floodwaters without overflowing.

According to an emergency action plan filed with the state in 2016, the dam's failure would cause flooding severe enough to obstruct or close more than 50 roads, including I-95 and Route 1. Even a moderate flood could endanger the Norwood Commerce Center and other businesses downstream.

Also, several homes line the creek bank immediately below the dam. Its drainage area includes parts of Westwood and Dover.

Despite the "poor" designation of the dam, Norwood Emergency Manager Bernard Cooper said residents shouldn't be concerned.

"The owners have done a good job of maintaining it," Cooper said, "If we had reason to believe that the dam structure itself were at the point of collapse, we would ask the Office of Dam Safety at the state to seek an immediate order to de-water the pond."

Willett is privately owned, Cooper added, making it harder for Norwood and Walpole town officials to arrange the funding needed for repairs and renovations.

That owner is the Neponset River Land Holding Association and it works in conjunction with the Willett Pond Charitable and Protective Association, a group comprising residents of the 85 homes abutting the pond. The WPCAPA has a long-term lease with Neponset for use of the pond.

Jim McGrath, a director of the WPCAPA, said the need for renovations is well-known.

"The challenge is to build a public-private partnership to figure out a way to pay for the improvements," McGrath said.

Progress has been slow, he said, but the parties involved are moving in the right direction.

Last year, the land holding association received a $172,000 grant to conduct a study of the dam and outline needed improvements. It also has applied for a second grant of $220,000 to pay engineering costs through 2020 and cover the costs of getting permits for spillway improvements.

As recently as Wednesday, McGrath said, he and leaders of the land holding association met with state officials to move the design process forward. The organizations have meetings scheduled with local officials.

This mix of private and public property interests is not uncommon, McGrath said. But complicating matters further is that a road runs along the top of the dam and a bridge spans the spillway.

"We're dealing with a dam that is topped by a road that is owned by the Mass DOT," McGrath said. "No one can fix it unless the bridge is removed. And how are we going to remove the bridge unless Mass DOT does it?"

Nevertheless, McGrath said, "Our pond owner has taken the steps that are necessary to do the studies, to position ourselves to be shovel-ready for beginning and commencing work in a little over a year's time — assuming that we can successfully put together a public-private partnership able to pull this off."

Brian Spillane, treasurer of the Neponset River Land Holding Association, said he hopes to hear about the $220,000 second grant in the next two weeks.

Willett Pond is one of just 39 Massachusetts dams in need of improvement. About two-thirds of those are in greater Boston, including a dam in Marlborough that has been labeled "unsafe."

In a statement, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which includes the Office of Dam Safety, said it has consistently funded dam improvement projects.

"The Commonwealth of Massachusetts remains committed to the safety of residents, infrastructure, businesses, water supply, and the environment, and since 2006 the state has invested more than $58 million helping private landowners, communities, stakeholders, and state agencies with the finalization of designs, and reconstruction or removal of dams," the statement said. "Through the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Office of Dam Safety, the state will continue its efforts to improve records of dams, closely monitor dam infrastructure throughout Massachusetts, and assist dam owners to ensure statutory and regulatory obligations are being met."

On average, the nation’s dams are more than 50 years old. Many weren't designed to handle the amount of water that could result from the increasingly intense rainstorms of a changing climate, the AP concluded.

Rising temperatures will "intensify the Earth’s water cycle" and increase evaporation, according to NASA. That increased evaporation will bring more storms and more rain to many areas, as well as an increased risk of flooding.

Despite the risks and need for repairs, little information has been publicly available about dam conditions, the AP found. Since 2002, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has redacted inspectors' condition assessments from its National Inventory of Dams citing security concerns. Only the hazard rating of some dams are publicly available, which determine the likelihood of human death or economic and property loss in the event of a catastrophic failure.