Dam Repairs Close Mill Pond Boat Ramp for Summer

Anyone hoping to launch a boat on Mill Pond this summer will have to wait a few more months. Ongoing repairs to the George H. Nichols Dam on Mill Pond are expected to continue throughout the summer.

According to Diane Petit, public affairs officer for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services, “(at this time) work is approximately 30 percent complete, with expected completion in early September 2011. Weather delayed the start of the work this spring by a couple of weeks. But other than that, there have been no significant glitches.” 

According to Project Manager and Civil Engineer Jim Lyons, “access to the boat ramp (which is where the construction trailer is parked) will remain closed throughout the repair process. It will open when the project is 100 percent complete for safety reasons.” Lyons works with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Westborough Conservation Officer Derek Saari has fielded numerous complaints from residents wanting to gain access to the boat ramp. He has told anyone who has a grievance to contact Jim Lyons at Jim.lyons@ma.usda.gov. 

The improvements are being conducted by the NCRS, a division of the USDA, through its Watershed Rehabilitation Program. Massachusetts is one of 11 states in the country that received a share of $45 million in funding to rehabilitate aging flood control structures. The current work at the George H. Nichols Dam will mark the first repair work ever done to the dam since it was built by the NRCS (then called the Soil Conservation Service) in 1970. 

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “This dam rehabilitation project will create or save jobs (both directly and indirectly related to the project) and protect lives and property during floods. During and after floods it will prevent injury and disease, reduce the need for emergency services, and keep community services operating.” The benefits from the watershed rehabilitation will, “protect the area’s 870 residents, 131 homes and businesses, 10 bridges, and benefit fish and wildlife. Annual flood damage reduction benefits are estimated at $110,500.”

The construction contract was awarded to Watermark Environmental, Inc. of Lowell. 

When completed, the Nichols Dam, which is owned by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), will be up to current safety and performance standards. At this time, it will be capable of  protecting the community in a “100-year storm” event, withstanding the probable maximum precipitation of 26 inches of rain in six hours.

According to Diane Petit, “The project construction cost is just under $1.9 million and the funding is part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funds administered through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Watershed Rehabilitation Program.”

The Recovery Act was passed in 2009 at the urging of President Obama.

For interested residents, tours of the site on Fridays during non-work hours (after 4 p.m.) for the general public can be arranged upon request by contacting Jim Lyons. Diane Petit suggested a visit in August when large articulated concrete blocks will be installed.

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