Wayland Gets $1.4M For 150-Year-Old Dam Rehabilitation Project

WAYLAND, MA — The town announced Thursday that it has been awarded a very large grant for an environmental project.

Wayland was granted $1,402,809.76 to help complete the Snake Brook Dam Rehabilitation Project. The project's purpose is to restore and improve the performance of the Snake Brook Dam and its appendages.

The funding comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Program, administered through the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

Snake Brook Dam impounds water along Snake Brook to form the Old Wayland Reservoir and is part of the Hamlen Woods Conservation Area located on Rice Road.

The funding will help address several structural deficiencies and bring the 150-year-old dam into compliance with engineering and safety standards.

“With this funding, we will be able to move forward with the completion of the Snake Brook Dam Rehabilitation," said Wayland Town Manager Michael McCall in a news release. "This project is critical to improving the poor condition of the dam and preventing a failure or potential hazard within our community."

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The project aims to raise the dam's core wall, rebuild the existing stone retaining wall, and renovate the gatehouse to improve access. It will also upgrade the dam's spillway and overflow systems to include an approximate 465-square-foot wetland impoundment, a new drawdown diversion line and a weather

This is not the first time in the past year that the town has been awarded funding for the Snake Brook Dam Rehabilitation Project. The Healey-Driscoll Administration granted the town $884,000 for the project back in Sept. 2025.

• Wayland Gets State Funding For Snake Brook Dam Rehabilitation Project

The dam was originally constructed more than 150 years ago as part of the town's water supply system. Now the dam impounds water for recreational uses.

The project is estimated to be completed in 2027.

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