Cheshire To Make Decision On Dam Removal
CHESHIRE, Mass. — The town will make a decision on whether or not to use state funds to remove the Kitchen Brook Dam.
Town Administrator Mark Webber told the Selectmen on Tuesday that the state Division of Ecological Restoration is ready to begin the process of removing the dam but needs direction from the town.
"I need direction on this," Webber said. "DER needs to know if we are ready to go or to take us off the list and give it to someone else. They are ready to go now."
Webber said the dam was given a high-risk rating five years ago when it was inspected. It's up for inspection again soon and the town could be ordered to remove it at a cost of an estimated $500,000.
The dam was originally used as a backup water source but is no longer listed as a backup water supply.
Webber said DER's charge has nothing to do with dam safety but rather in creating unrestricted waterways for fish.
"They have their mission and it coincided with a concern of the town so it is a favorable project," he said.
The Water Department has shared concerns over the dam removal and made clear that it feared eliminating it for future use.
At last week's meeting, Water Department representatives suggested repairing the dam and possibly seeking grants to do so.
Residents who attended the meeting Tuesday asked if there were any benefits to keeping the dam.
Selectman Robert Ciskowski noted because of its location on the mountain, it is a more pristine source of water less vulnerable to pollution.
"It is less likely to be polluted than our wells up there. There is [Mount] Greylock Reservation behind it and is a safe, long-term supply," he said. "There is no tractor trailer that will dump chemicals near it."
Currently, the town has backup wells and a tank. The Cheshire lake can also be used as a backup water supply. Webber said the state deemed this arrangement perfectly acceptable.
Selectwoman Carol Francesconi said currently the dam is a "mud pit" that contains no water.
She added that before ruling on the side of the Water Department ,she would need to know the repair costs and whether it would fall on the town or the water users.
"We have a chance to take this down for nothing and I don't think the water users are going to want to pay $500,000 to fix this thing," she said. "We can either use state money or wait for the state to order us to take it down on our dime."
Also, she wanted to know the specific grants the town could apply for. But Webber said capturing these grants would be unlikely.
Francesconi added that to use the surface water on the mountain, the town would have to build a water treatment plant that would cost millions. She said it is far cheaper to tap a new well.
Once the town gives the project its blessing, the state will gather data in 2018, finalize plans in 2019 and implement them in 2020. Gathering data and creating plans is estimated to cost nearly $155,000 and tear down is anticipated to cost $350,000.
Webber said if the town turns down the state-funded project and the dam receives another unfavorable inspection, the town will be forced to take it down at its cost, not that of the water users.
Selectman Edmund St. John IV asked that the Selectmen wait one more week before making a ruling so he could familiarize himself with the project.
Webber said another week shouldn't hurt but he would not want to delay it any longer.
"They have been on me for six weeks and other people want that money," he said. "We are on the priority list. Others didn't make it. If we say thanks but no thanks they are going to move someone else up on the list and they like our project."
Ciskowski added that he feared going against the Water Department could damage their relationship.
"I'm worried about it," he said. "They did make a logical argument and if we go through with this I can't imagine the fall of what is going to happen."
In other business, Webber went over some of the town's options with the now empty Cheshire Elementary School.
He said it will be possible to shut down and drain the heating system on the old side of the building.
"It would probably make sense to shut down the old half during the winter," Webber said. "It is actually nicely designed so it shouldn't be a big deal to mothball it."
He added that the town may want to look into purchasing an automatic starter for the building's emergency generator. Currently, the generator has to be turned on manually.
Tags: dam removal,
