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In the year 2020, the Town of Clinton, MA, is facing a problem. The Town owns property in the neighboring Town of Sterling, MA, namely, a total of 564 acres that surround and encompass part of the Nashua River watershed known as the Wekepeke Reservoirs. The Town purchased this land in the late 1800s as a source of drinking water. However, since the Wachusett Reservoir was built, Clinton no longer needs the Wekepeke Reservoirs as a water supply. The Town tried to sell the property to Nestle Waters in 2008, but the plan backfired when Clinton residents butted heads over the concept of "selling" its rights to an aquifer. At this time, the Town of Clinton stills owns this land.

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The current issue is the state of two (2) of the three dams that form the Wekepeke Reservoirs, know as the Upper Lynde Basin Dam, and the Lower Lynde Basin Dam. Both dams are in poor condition; the Town must take action as the owners of this property. The Town is facing three (3) alternatives: 1.) repair the two existing dams; 2.) replace the two existing dams; or 3.) remove the two existing dams.

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Your task is to join one of three (3) groups to research the economic impact of your choice (repair, replace, or remove), and also the environmental impact of your choice (repair, replace, or remove), and draft a brief feasibility report for your group's choice.

The documents attached to the right side of this Padlet will provide a starting point for your research. You will summarize the information you collect, and then add it to this Padlet in the Group One, Two, or Three column.

Your group's final task is to create a short video that summarizes your group's feasibility report: that is, state the economic impact or approximate cost for the Town for your alternative, and state the details of how the environment will be impacted by your alternative. Feel free to use Screencastify to record, or another tool of your choice.

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APPROXIMATE COST to REPAIR the EXISTING DAMS:

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APPROXIMATE COST to REPAIR the EXISTING DAMS:

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(post your group's results here)

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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT in REPAIRING the EXISTING DAMS:

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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT in REPAIRING the EXISTING DAMS:

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(post your group's results here)

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APPROXIMATE COST to REPLACE the EXISTING DAMS:

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APPROXIMATE COST to REPLACE the EXISTING DAMS:

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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT in REPLACING the EXISTING DAMS:

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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT in REPLACING the EXISTING DAMS:

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2018 Lenart Consulting Service LLC Report

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2018 Lenart Consulting Service LLC Report

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The Baker-Polito Administration has announced over $10.2 million in grants to assist communities in addressing deteriorating dams and coastal infrastructure, including a grant to Clinton for its dams in Sterling.

The awards, funded by the governor's annual capital budget, include engineering or construction phase support for seven dam repair projects, five dam removals, and three coastal protection reconstruction projects that will protect public safety, preserve natural resources, and ensure vital infrastructure is resilient to the impacts of climate change. Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides announced.

Clinton received $176,250 for the Lynde Basin Dam removals design and permit. Clinton DPW Director Chris McGown said the work will encompass three dams: The Upper Lynde, the Lower Lynde and the Fitch Basin Dam.

"Permitting is quite extensive," McGown said.

"The two-day storm the Commonwealth experienced (recently) is a reminder of the necessity of ensuring critical infrastructure like dams and seawalls are prepared for increasingly severe storms and other weather," said Governor Charlie Baker. "Our administration is proud to support municipalities throughout Massachusetts with these grants, and looks forward to working with the Legislature to pass our legislation that would provide a stable revenue source to fund climate-smart infrastructure projects and nature-based solutions."

The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs' (EEA) Dam and Seawall Program will award $10,293,414 in grants to 14 projects to help finalize designs, reconstruct critical infrastructure, or remove unneeded structures. With this announcement, the Dam and Seawall Program has awarded over $77 million in grants and loans to attend to this important infrastructure since its inception in 2013.

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The Baker-Polito Administration has announced over $10.2 million in grants to assist communities in addressing deteriorating dams and coastal infrastructure, including a grant to Clinton for its dams in Sterling.

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APPROXIMATE COST to REMOVE the EXISTING DAMS:

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APPROXIMATE COST to REMOVE the EXISTING DAMS:

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(post your group's results here)

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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT in REMOVING the EXISTING DAMS:

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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT in REMOVING the EXISTING DAMS:

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(post your group's results here)

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Nashua River Watershed Action Plan 2003-2007

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Nashua River Watershed Action Plan 2003-2007

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Geographic Overview and Ecosystem Characteristics: Most of this subbasin primarily lies in the municipality of Sterling with parts extending into Leominster and Lancaster. Located in the Southern New England Coastal Hills and Plains ecoregion of central Massachusetts, this area drains into the North Nashua River in Lancaster just below Bartletts Pond. Streamflow, as in most of New England, has significant seasonal changes . Topography is generally hilly, encompassing numerous wetlands, broad valleys, and floodplains.

Land Ownership and Land Use Patterns: The land-use pattern is predominantly rural, undeveloped forest (hardwood mixed with softwood) or wetland plus low-density residential settlement in the hilly upland areas. Concentrated settlements and strip developments are located near town centers and along major roads. Heavily traveled Interstate 190 runs through this subbasin. The highway, which connects Worcester and Leominster, has led to and will continue to lead to increased development pressures, primarily of single-family residences. Agriculture (notably "hobby farms" and backyard horse paddocks), commercial operations, industry and other developed land uses are less significant. However, sand and gravel extraction operations are contributing to sedimentation and land use change.

A low percentage (less than 10%) of total impervious surfaces — namely, paved areas such as streets, driveways, and parking lots — for this whole subbasin indicates that concerns of compromised stormwater and other non-point sources of contaminants (i.e.: pesticides, oils, fertilizers, asphalt, pet wastes, salt, sediment, litter and other debris) are not a pressing issue.

Major Water Resource Issues: The amount of permanently protected undeveloped open space and undeveloped woodland in the subbasin has meant that the water quality in the subbasin remains high. This subbasin features a network of unnamed streams and swamps. Wekepeke Brook in Sterling is one of the best coldwater streams in Eastern Massachusetts. It has good tree cover for shading to maintain cold water temperature, has high fertility and moderate acidity and, consequently, self-supporting populations of brook and brown trout. The headwaters of Wekepeke Brook drain to five reservoirs: Heywood Reservoir, Fitch Basin, Spring Basin, and Upper and Lower Lynde Basins (which are fed by Lynde Brook). At times in the past, Lynde Basin has been noted to be eutrophic.

Sterling's Municipal Wells # 2, 4 and 5, the Wekepeke Aquifer, and Leominster's Zone III Area of Protection face possible contamination sources. These include Sterling's landfill in the recharge area, pesticide use in power line and railroad Rights of Ways, and beavers which have capitalized on the present environmental conditions and proliferated to the point of being considered a "nuisance" species . The most serious damage beavers are causing in this subbasin, in addition to increased localized flooding behind their dams, is from bacterial contamination of wellwater. Additionally, there is concern of potential negative impact on Wekepeke Brook from potential increased aquifer withdrawals. Also, any further development of the Wekepeke Aquifer - from residential septic systems and farming operations could affect the Town of Lancaster's well near the North Nashua River. Note that Lancaster does have a Water Supply Protection District By-law.

Based on recent findings in an Hydrologic Analysis (inflow/outflow) by Camp, Dresser, Mckee, under contract with EOEA for the Massachusetts Watershed Initiative Nashua Team, the Wekepeke sub-basin is currently under a medium level of stress. Looking ahead to the year 2020, Wekepeke Brook remains under a medium level of stress. This means that the net 7Q10 outflow from the sub-basin equals or exceeds the estimated natural 7Q10. 7Q10 is the lowest consecutive 7 day streamflow that is likely to occur in a ten year period in a particular river segment.

Recreation and Priority Habitat Areas: The recent municipal purchase of the Sholan Farm in Leominster in the year 2001 for conservation and watershed protection purposes is considered a major open space acquisition. Another significant conservation project recently completed in the subbasin is the purchase of part of Ballard Hill in Lancaster by the Trustees of Reservations. The Town of Clinton has owned considerable acreage in the "Wekepeke" Reservoirs area for one and half centuries. At one time, Clinton utilized this source as a potable public water supply until 1964 when it was removed from service as the MDC's Wachusett Reservoir proved to be a more attractive long-term supply. Clinton is in the process of placing a conservation restriction — in partnership with the state — on this "Waterworks" land, which it holds as a reserve. Permanent development restrictions of this area will greatly contribute to the continued protection of the Wekepeke surface and groundwater resources.

Bartlett Pond Conservation Area in Lancaster off Route 117 and the Lancaster Town Forest are local recreational destinations. The Allen Agricultural Protection Restriction (APR) in Sterling is several hundred acres. There are three MA Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) Priority Habitat sites in this subbasin:

1. in the vicinity of an unnamed stream draining north, crossing at the intersection of Flanagan Hill, Hilltop, and Brockelman Roads;

2. Heywood Reservoir; and, 3) along the Conrail line south of Route 117 between Route 12 and I-190.

There are three habitat areas identified in the Nashua River Habitat Assessment Report (MAS, 2000):

1) the Ballard Hill area; 2) the Wekepeke Brook area; and,

3) a small portion of the western part of this subbasin falls within the Leominster State Forest/ Notown Reservoir core habitat area.

Protection priorities should focus on unprotected lands adjacent to Wekepeke Brook. The NHESP BioMap data supports the both the Nashua River Habitat Assessment Report and the NHESP Priority Habitat information cited above.

Resource Protection Goals and Recommended Actions

GOAL: Protect wildlife habitat and migration corridors in the subbasin.

Sponsor local events to raise public understanding about native wildlife and the impacts of development patterns on ecosystem and habitat integrity.

Work with local conservation commissions to gain their backing of natural resource and habitat inventories.

GOAL: Protect high-priority open space, vistas, and community character in the subbasin.

Encourage the use of MA Executive Order 418 funding for Open Space and Resource Protection Plans for each Massachusetts community in this subbasin.

Conduct public education sessions to promote local passage of Community Preservation Act

Work toward ideal of at least 25-50% protected open space in each municipality.

Work with municipal officials to develop subdivision standards that require proponents to devote at least 50% of land (not including already undevelopable wet or steep land) for open space conservation and encourage mixed-use development and cluster zoning by-right bylaws.

Encourage municipalities to adopt and enforce "Scenic River Protection" type bylaws.

GOAL: Improve water quality in the subbasin.

Assist Leominster with its Clean Water Act-mandated MS-4 Phase II Stormwater requirements. This municipality will be required to obtain permits to reduce impacts to the receiving streams through the development of Best Management Practices (BMPs), elimination of cross-connections and significant public education. CSO controls and the development of a long-range control plan will be required.

Help develop and disseminate Best Management Practices for small-scale, hobby type agricultural operations.

Develop and implement comprehensive regional wellhead protection program.

Monitor Sterling's Pratt's Junction Road light industrial zone.

Monitor Volatile Organic Chlorine (VOC) readings in Leominster's water.

Monitor Jungle Road industrial area in Leominster.

Identify Water Management Act (WMA) withdrawals in the Wekepeke subbasin. Evaluate compliance with registration and/or permit limits. Determine potential impacts of withdrawals on streamflow/habitat.

Identify the degree of threat from potential faulty/ illicitly discharging septic systems, which may result in bacterial and nutrient contamination of nearby streams and groundwater.

Inventory, monitor and improve stormwater drainage structures.

Identify underground storage tanks (USTs) and work to have them removed.

GOAL: Reduce potential negative effects of some development in this subbasin.

Review the turf maintenance practices of are golf courses to determine potential non-point source pollution from fertilizer use.

Help local volunteer board members responsible for development and land-use rulemaking and enforcement get technical assistance and information regarding techniques to control/guide land use and development balanced with adequate resource protection (e.g., Citizens Planner Training Collaborative workshop offerings).

Monitor increased imperviousness, both direct and indirect riparian zone alterations, and uncontrolled runoff from construction sites to prevent increased stream temperature and sedimentation through macroinvertebrate sampling performed by volunteer stream team monitors.

Increase or establish staff hours of municipal conservation agents to more effectively monitor construction sites runoff and assist with the preparation of bylaws such as erosion-sedimentation controls.

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Geographic Overview and Ecosystem Characteristics: Most of this subbasin primarily lies in the municipality of Sterling with parts extending into Leominster and Lancaster. Located in the Southern New England Coastal Hills and Plains ecoregion of central Massachusetts, this area drains into the North Nashua River in Lancaster just below Bartletts Pond.

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Left to Right: Dam before removal; dam at the start of removal and Wekepeke Brook after dam removal.

In June 2014, the Town of Lancaster removed the Bartlett Pond Dam and completed site improvements to the surrounding Robert Frommer Conservation Area. The dam was located near the mouth of Wekepeke Brook, a cold water stream with native brook trout, rare species habitat, and exemplary natural communities. The dam raised water temperatures and lowered dissolved oxygen in the impoundment and limited access to cold water habitat for native brook trout. The dam was in poor condition and posed a risk to Route 117 downstream. Project goals included (1) restoring habitat connectivity, (2) improving water quality, and (3) eliminating risks and liabilities associated with the aging dam.

Benefits of Removal

Dam removal helps fish and wildlife survive climate change by expanding the amount, quality, and diversity of habitat available. Removal of the Bartlett Pond Dam opened 18 miles of mainstem and tributary habitat. Fish and other aquatic species are now able to access coldwater refugia during the warm summer months and seek quieter streams during mainstem floods. Trout were found by MassWildlife biologists in the new channel above the dam a few weeks after the dam was removed.

The deteriorated dam presented risk to the Route 117 bridge downstream. The dam was classified as a small-sized, Poor condition, and Significant Hazard structure by the MA Office of Dam Safety. Dam removal reduced risk and Town liability, improved ecological conditions, and helped the community adapt and be more resilient to climate change and extreme weather.

Project Costs & Funding

The cost to remove the dam was approximately $100,000 compared with an estimate of $600,000 - $1,000,000 to repair or replace the dam. The Town of Lancaster funded the project through a loan provided by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Dam and Seawall Repair or Removal Fund. The Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) contributed $45,000 in cash and technical assistance throughout the project.

Project Partners

The project was led by the Town of Lancaster, with assistance from DER and MassWildlife, and support from the Nashua River Watershed Association, Lancaster Friends of the Nashua River, and others. PARE Corporation was the project engineer and Kaszowski Brothers was the construction contractor.

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Bartlett Pond Dam Removal & Wekepeke Brook Restoration

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In June 2014, the Town of Lancaster removed the Bartlett Pond Dam and completed site improvements to the surrounding Robert Frommer Conservation Area. The dam was located near the mouth of Wekepeke Brook, a cold water stream with native brook trout, rare species habitat, and exemplary natural communities.

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LANCASTER - Over a century ago, the turbine inside the dam at Bartlett Pond powered a furniture factory.

The factory is long gone. Now, the turbine ... and the dam ... have faded into history.

Tuesday, state and local officials joined with residents, including the Bartlett family, to commemorate the new Wekepeke Brook, restored in a partnership between the town and state.

Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Maeve Vallely Bartlett (no relation) joined state and local officials to celebrate the successful removal of Bartlett Pond Dam; an 84-foot long structure that was in disrepair and classified as a "significant hazard" on Wekepeke Brook, a tributary of the North Nashua River.

The Bartlett Pond dam removal was the first in the state to be completed using money from the Dam and Seawall Bill, a fund set up by the legislature to remove or repair dams and seawalls. The fund addresses the growing need to repair dams, coastal flood control structures and inland flood control structures that pose a risk to public health, public safety and key economic centers.

The dam removal restores upstream fish passage to approximately 18 miles of high-quality coldwater habitat and improves the Town of Lancaster's Frommer Conservation Area, officials said.

"There were brook trout down stream and brook trout up stream," said project manager Alex Hackman, a restoration specialist for the Mass. Division of Ecological Restoration, standing in waders on the restored stream bank. But there was no way for the trout to move between the two areas because of the dam, which created Bartlett Pond. Talking to the Lancaster 4-H members who gathered after the official ceremony, Hackman quizzed them on what the dam would create. "There was a bathtub in between," he said in response to their observation that the temperature would increase behind the dam.

In addition to helping to create a flood plain for storms and a passageway for cold water trout, eliminating the dam also had a "subtle effect" in restoring the ecology of the area, Hackman said.

"Mud and leaves and sticks behind the dam should have flown down stream," Hackman said. "They are food for insects and habitat for fish."

In the past, the Nashua River watershed area had endangered species above and below the dam, Hackman said.

"There was an empty space in between," Hackman said. That ecology should be restored now that the dam has been removed.

Town Administrator Orlando Pacheco, who spearheaded the effort for the town, thanked what he called the partners of the project: State officials, members of nonprofit groups, particularly the Nashua River Watershed Association, town officials, particularly the Land Trust, the Conservation Commission and the Historical Commission, the Bartlett family, selectmen and residents of Lancaster.

"This is the first project of the new legislation, so there was a lot of kinks to work out," Pacheco said, acknowledging the financial team who helped figure things out. He gave special recognition to the Bartlett family.

"When your grandfather built the structure being taken down, you would think they would have reservations. But it was the opposite," Pacheco said. He noted that removing the dam saved the town more than $600,000 over the cost of replacing the dam.

The final cost of the restoration was $100,000, paid for by the town, with a loan from the state. The Mass. Division of Ecological Restoration contributed $45,000 in grants and technical assistance.

Maeve Bartlett, not related to the Lancaster family and only in the job two weeks, acknowledged the day was a "great celebration of a great restoration project." She added there are two dozen dams set to be removed at a "fraction of the cost and much quicker than previously done."

While the proect has been in the works for two years, according to Hackman, "in 10 days, poof, the wall was gone."

State Rep. Harold Naughton Jr. noted that, "for 20 years, we knew we needed to step forward and do something like this. This is not just for ourselves,, but the future." Acknowledging the Lancaster Bartlett family, who have been in town for 300 years, Naughton said it shows the "dedication, integrity and commitment to the past, future and present of the people of town."

"This project was a priority of the Department of Fish and Game's Division of Ecological Restoration," said DFG Commissioner Mary Griffin. She used the opportunity to read a proclamation from Gov. Deval Patrick, naming June as Rivers Month in the state.

The work is already paying off, Griffin said. In a recent fish survey of the restored area, above the former dam they found 18 brook trout up to nine inches long; below the dam, they found 13 trout up to seven inches long.

"The fish are telling us what we have done is good, I think," Griffin said.

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LANCASTER - Over a century ago, the turbine inside the dam at Bartlett Pond powered a furniture factory. The factory is long gone. Now, the turbine ... and the dam ... have faded into history. Tuesday, state and local officials joined with residents, including the Bartlett family, to commemorate the new Wekepeke Brook, restored in a partnership between the town and state.

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Wekepeke Brook Restoration

Lancaster, MA

Overview

Created by the damming of the Wekepeke Brook, Bartlett Pond had been a popular spot for recreational pursuits since the early 1900's. In 2009, the dam was condemned and later voted by the Town of Lancaster to be removed.

The Challenge

Though the ecological benefits of removing the dam were phenomenal, for many longtime residents of Lancaster, the removal of the historic pond was a loss.

The Solution

In conjunction with the dam removal, Traverse Landscape Architects worked to conceptualize a park and trail system that would accentuate the beauty of the restored wetland and celebrate its rich history. Working closely with the Lancaster Historic and Conservation Commission, Traverse developed a plan that would do both. The original turbine was restored and reinserted into the landscape alongside a new trail system, shaded overlook, picnic tables and benches. New educational signs were also added. In the summer of 2014, the Bartlett Pond dam removal marked the completion of the first project awarded funding under the EEA Dam and Seawall Repair and Rehabilitation Fund.

3 Years Later

Following the dam removal in 2014, Bartlett Pond returned to a cold water riverine ecosystem for the first time since 1840. The Wekepeke Brook now runs through the site as a tributary of the Nashua River. The dam removal opened up 18 miles of mainstream and tributary habitat, resulting in increased oxygen levels, cooler water temperatures, and habitat connectivity. Native plant communities are flourishing and animal species such as brook trout, spring salamander, wood turtle, American bullfrog and blue-winged teal are thriving in the rehabilitated brook.

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Lancaster, MA Created by the damming of the Wekepeke Brook, Bartlett Pond had been a popular spot for recreational pursuits since the early 1900's. In 2009, the dam was condemned and later voted by the Town of Lancaster to be removed.

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(post your group's video here)

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7.MS-LS2-5: Evaluate competing design solutions for protecting an ecosystem. Discuss benefits and limitations of each design.

7.MS-ETS1-7: Construct a prototype of a solution to a given design problem.

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(post your group's video here)

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7.MS-LS2-5: Evaluate competing design solutions for protecting an ecosystem. Discuss benefits and limitations of each design.

7.MS-ETS1-7: Construct a prototype of a solution to a given design problem.

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(post your group's video here)

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7.MS-LS2-5: Evaluate competing design solutions for protecting an ecosystem. Discuss benefits and limitations of each design.

7.MS-ETS1-7: Construct a prototype of a solution to a given design problem.