Whitney Pond Dam Removal & River Restoration Project: Ashburnham

Under a grant from the MA Division of Ecological Restoration (DER), the NRWA is helping to lead outreach and information efforts in Ashburnham in regards to the town's decision to remove the Whitney Pond Dam. The NRWA views dam removal on a case-by-case basis. Each dam, community, and waterway has its own unique set of circumstances that need to be fully understood in the decision-making process. In the end, the decision to repair or remove must be made by the dam owner.

In this instance, the Town of Ashburnham is the dam owner and has already made the decision to remove the Whitney Pond Dam. The NRWA is a project partner assisting the town in applying for grant funding for the removal of the dam, as well as helping the community understand the removal process and the benefits of removing the dam. The NRWA will also assist with monitoring and ecological restoration.

    

Maps showing location of Whitney Pond Dam. Click on this link for a larger Google map view.

Community Outreach

The NRWA is conducting outreach throughout the community, to both residents and businesses. A neighborhood meeting was held for individuals who live or own a business near the Whitney Pond Dam project site in order to hear their insights and concerns. NRWA staff, together with staff from the DER, and Pare Corporation (project engineers), also held two community information meetings to provide an overview of the project, and address questions and concerns from the community. Informational rack cards have been distributed to public locations throughout Ashburnham. The Association will also maintain this website throughout the project to provide interested individuals with updates on the project.

Community Information Meetings

Two community information meetings were held with the same presentation made at both meetings. Recordings of the full presentation, as well as the audience question and answer session, were recorded for those who were not able to attend the meetings.

Community Information Meeting on March 21, 2024 (1pm) at Ashburnham Town Hall Auditorium. View video of March 21, 2024 Community Meeting (1:32:24 min). Recorded by Pare Corporation. Please note that during the public question and answer time, it was difficult at times to hear questions from the audience. NRWA added text transcription of the questions to the video in that section.

Community Information Meeting on April 11, 2024 (7pm) at Ashburnham Town Hall Auditorium. Recorded by Ash-West Access Television. View this video on Ash-West Community Media. Viewing times listed on that link. 

About Whitney Pond Dam

Whitney Pond Dam is an 18-foot high, earthen and concrete dam located on the Whitman River, adjacent to Rt. 101 (Center Street) in Ashburnham, MA. The image at left shows the crumbling downstream stone and masonry dam wall, and note the trees growing on the dam and shifted stones. The dam no longer provides any service to the community for industry or water supply.  Since 2009, the dam has been deemed to be in Poor Condition, and the MA Office of Dam Safety (ODS) has designated it a Significant Hazard dam due to the potential risk to downstream buildings, people, and infrastructure in the event of a dam failure. Further, the dam has been found to be structurally unsound and non-compliant with MA ODS safety standards since 2017. Due to these findings, the public safety risks, and the financial burden to repair, maintain, and inspect the dam, in 2018 the Town of Ashburnham decided to remove the dam.

The dam removal process began with a feasibility study; extensive planning, design, and permitting; and studies of impact on upstream and downstream areas, sediment composition in the impoundment behind the dam, and fish and other aquatic life in the impact area. The Town has retained Pare Corporation, an engineering firm, to carry out design and permitting for the project, which are nearly complete. The Town is currently seeking funding for the removal process (aka "construction" among professionals in this field).

In 2021, the DER selected this dam's removal and river restoration project as a "Priority Project", meaning that the project would bring "significant ecological and community benefits to the Commonwealth." This determination allows the Whitney Pond dam removal project to receive state funding and technical assistance from DER to conduct the removal.

Important Studies and Design Plans

  • View the most recent Phase I Inspection / Evaluation Report for a detailed description of the structural integrity of the dam and an Opinion of Probable Costs of removal versus repair and maintenance. (Completed January 2018)
  • View the Preliminary Dam Removal Feasibility Study: Whitney Pond Dam Removal for further details on existing site conditions, the initial hydrological and hydraulic analysis, a conceptual proposal for dam removal, and an updated Opinion of Probable Cost for dam removal. (Completed January 2020)
  • View the February 2024 Site Plans for the proposed project. Note: These are not final site plans. Site plans cannot be finalized until all permit reviews are complete.

Permitting

Local, state, and federal permits are essential to ensure that the proposed project complies with all relevant regulations.

The following permits have been secured for this project:

Additional applications are being pursued for the following permits:

  • US Army Corps of Engineers – Section 404 (File #: 2020-1680; Pre-construction Notification filed: 4/2021) Access follow-up comments to the Army Corps here.
  • Restoration Order of Conditions (under the MA Wetlands Protection Act; File #CE 092-1055; Filed: 2/28/2024) To be posted soon.
  • MA Chapter 91 License and Permit (To be filed: 5/2024) To be posted soon.

The Dam Removal Process

The removal of Whitney Pond Dam will involve:

    ✔  Breaching the dam

    ✔   Disassembling any related structures

    ✔  Removing contaminated soils in the dam impoundment

    ✔   Restoring the river, riverbank, and wetlands

    ✔  Monitoring fish populations, plant re-establishment, channel formation, and water quality

An example of an alteration that will take place: In the photo to the left (from Pare Corporation),the current downstream culvert indicated by red arrow that will be transformed into open channel as part of the dam removal and river restoration. 

Once the dam has been removed, the dam impoundment will transition to a healthy emergent wetland, intersected by the restored Whitman River.

View "Fundamentals of Dam Removal for Dam Owners and Municipalities" (1:04:00 min.) to learn more about the technical side of the dam removal process in Massachusetts.

Benefits of Removal

Removing Whitney Pond Dam will:

  • Improve public safety
  • Eliminate public spending on dam inspections, maintenance, and repairs
  • Greatly benefit fish, wildlife, and public health

The Whitman River, a tributary to the Nashua River, provides critical habitat for coldwater fish species. Removing the dam will reconnect 10.5 miles of upstream and downstream river habitat, letting fish move freely along the river once more. Dam removal will also improve water quality and remove polluted river sediment.

      

Millie Turner Dam site on the Nissitissit River in Pepperell, MA before removal and after removal. These photos provide one example of how landscapes evolve following dam removals. Photo on left from Squan-a-tissit Trout Unlimited.

Questions? 

Learn more about dam removals in Massachusetts on the DER's website: River Restoration: Dam Removals.

You can also email your questions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., NRWA Watershed Scientist. 

Project Partners