MONSON — The Church Manufacturing Company Dam removal project is moving forward smoothly, now entering its permitting phase following ongoing monitoring since May 2022, representatives reported.
The permitting phase is expected to last approximately one year with the representatives reporting to the Monson Conservation Commission again in eight months, Ecological Restoration Specialist Joseph Gould of the Division of Ecological Restoration for the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game said.
Gould provided an update to the Conservation Commission alongside GZA GeoEnvironmental Senior Project Manager Jennifer Burke and GZA GeoEnvironmental Project Ecologist Adrienne Dunk during the committee’s Aug. 7 meeting.
The Church Manufacturing Company Dam is located on private property with no public access beside Route 32 and Bethany Road. The dam removal began officially began in May 2022 when a pilot channel was reestablished alongside the dam, allowing water to naturally reconnect the upper and lower parts of the Chicopee Brook, Gould explained.
Dam removal can provide multiple benefits to areas where the dam has fulfilled its original purpose, including removing dam maintenance costs and responsibilities, restoring the original flow of the water source, allow fish to travel along the water source, and eliminating any artificial conditions created by the dam, according to the Division of Ecological Restoration.
In removing the Church Manufacturing Company Dam, this project will help to restore the Chicopee Brook, remove any manmade materials from the area, eliminate any risk of dam failure, and protect the nearby roads and parking lot, Gould said.
He assured the Conservation Commission that the Chicopee Brook would be able to cope with increased flows in the event of a large storm without the dam’s current impoundment.
Additionally, dam removal will allow the 25,000 yards of sediment built up in the impoundment to move into the “sediment-starved” downstream, Dunk stated.
Since the pilot channel’s establishment, the area has seen an increase of native flowers, grasses and fish, as well as multiple sightings of bald eagles and ospreys, Dunk said. This vegetation has helped to secure sediment along the banks. She highlighted that monitoring has shown positive results and that little is expected to change upstream.
Once the permitting process is complete, the project will move forward with removing manmade materials in order to guide the dam in naturally creating a stable channel to fully reconnect the brook, Dunk explained.
In addition to the Aug. 7 update, the Division of Ecological Restoration and GZA recently hosted three public events to share information with residents and answer questions, Burke stated. These events offered access both virtually and in-person at the Monson Free Library.
Following the Conservation Commission’s approval, the representatives stated that they would reduce monitoring to only vegetation monitoring after reports have consistently produced minimal changes over the previous two years.
