Drawdown necessary to repair dam at Watershops Pond

Nov. 12, 2020 | Carolyn Noel
carolynn@thereminder.com

The former factory buildings operated by the Springfield Armory were powered by the water pressure created by the dam.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo

SPRINGFIELD – Watershops Pond, also known as Lake Massasoit, is undergoing a temporary water drawdown to allow access to its dam. The drawdown began on Oct. 26 and is expected to reach the necessary water levels by Nov. 7. This process is intended to repair the dam and make necessary resilience upgrades. It will continue through April 2022.

“If we have a milder winter and we can get more work done through the winter, then the city would look at potentially refilling the pond earlier, more like the Fall of 2021. We can't really see that until we get into the work and know what our timeline looks like,” said Springfield’s Director of Disaster Recovery Tina Quagliato Sullivan.

According to Sullivan, the dam is considered “high-hazard” and could potentially lead to significant loss of property and life if breached.

“The dam definitely has some seriously aged components and out of date components that need to be repaired,” said Sullivan.

Mayor Domenic Sarno praised the beginning of this process and highlighted how it will affect the city of Springfield when it comes to climate change.

"This project meets two goals set by my administration: Removing the Watershops Dam from the state’s High Hazard category, and implementing green energy-efficient measures by installing solar panels at the Brookings School. In the future, this school can be used as an emergency shelter due to electricity produced by the solar panels. Successful implementation of the proposed repairs will bring Springfield significantly closer to creating a more resilient community prepared to face the challenges of climate change,” stated Sarno in a press release.

Years ago, when the dam was controlled by the Springfield Armory, it did have hydropower. Initially, the city hoped to be able to reinstall this hydropower. However, this was proven to be unattainable, according to Sullivan.

“Unfortunately, when we did a full feasibility study, it became very clear that the cost of installing hydropower wouldn’t produce a significant enough source of power for it to make sense,” said Sullivan.

This led the City of Springfield to revise the plan, and led to the decision to implement green energy at the nearby Brookings School in the form of solar panels.

The drawdown of Watershops Pond will likely have little, but some effect on its wildlife, explained Sullivan.

“There will probably be some impact, but there will still be a small pool of water remaining, so any sort of fish could certainly be in the pool. Fish are generally pretty smart and when they realize the water is flowing differently they tend to follow the current. So we’re not anticipating a significant loss of wildlife here,” said Sullivan.

There was also an extensive Environmental Impact Report done before the start of this project. More information about this report can be found on the city of Springfield’s website.

After the dam is repaired, water will be restored in the pond. According to Sullivan, the state itself wanted the entire pond to be drained and removed, but the city of Springfield found that an infeasible alternative.

“The city recognizes what a beneficial amenity it is for our residents. The project will end with Watershops Pond still being the way that it is,” she said.

With the commencement of the drawdown came the discovery of many unusual items. So far, six cars and a handgun have been found.

“We knew that there were about six or seven cars within the pond using sonar scanning prior to the drawdown,” said Sullivan.

Police are already in the process of removing the cars and have confiscated the weapon, said Sullivan. They will then be researching these items to see if they are tied to any incidents or crime.

Along with the oddities found, there was also a lot of debris in the pond from the 2011 tornado.

“At this point, our plan will be to take an inventory of what’s in the pond and come up with some sort of plan with both residents and the city to get as much stuff removed as possible prior to the refilling of the dam,” said Sullivan.

Congressman Richard Neal is also in support of the Watershops Pond Project. According to Sarno, he played a critical part in identifying and securing federal funding for this project.  

“The improvements to the Watershops Pond Dam will mean increased safety for residents living near this water source,” said Neal. “The project will address the dam’s “high risk” designation and minimize the risk of flooding in the future. The South End neighborhood will benefit greatly from this project and I am happy we were able to secure federal dollars to ensure it gets done,” said Neal in a press release.

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