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College dam repair plan draws technical questions; hearing continued to allow responses
Summary
Mount Wachusett Community College’s Old West Pond dam restoration plan, including a proposal to lower the pond and install a culvert, prompted detailed technical debate over substrate, culvert sizing, fish passage and scour. The commission continued the hearing to April 28 to let the proponent respond to DEP and clarify design options.
The Gardner Conservation Commission continued a joint public hearing on Mount Wachusett Community College’s Old West Pond dam repair and ecological restoration project after detailed technical discussion about water-level management, culvert design and aquatic habitat.
Dennis Bell, consultant for the college, described a plan to draw the pond down roughly 5 feet, converting parts of the current pond into wetland and reducing open-water acreage from about 5 acres to roughly 2.3 acres. The plan includes a new outlet culvert and streambed restoration. Commission members asked how fish and other aquatic life would be handled during staged dewatering and whether the proposed culvert substrate would be stable over time.
Bell described a staged dewatering approach: an initial two-foot drawdown to coalesce fish, installation of a temporary cofferdam and a controlled daily drawdown (approximately six inches per day) to encourage downstream movement. “The fish that are there now... are gonna have to travel downstream in order to survive,” he said, explaining the migration expectation and consultation with Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
Commissioners raised alternatives for the permanent outlet. Staff and the proponent discussed three approaches: (1) a natural-bottom (in-situ) box culvert that mimics stream substrate; (2) a culvert with engineered substrate placed inside; and (3) a larger precast culvert to facilitate construction and maintenance. Questions centered on long-term scour risk and maintenance access: one commissioner said he feared repeated washouts and future repairs, while engineers noted flow-control and energy-dissipation features upstream and downstream.
The college’s team agreed to respond to DEP’s Friday comments and to provide additional detail on the preferred culvert section, embedment and energy dissipators. The commission continued the hearing to April 28 to review revised plans and written responses.
Several commissioners emphasized the urgency of repairing a dam the state has listed as structurally deficient, and the college said it is prioritizing safety while seeking a design that balances ecological goals with long-term durability.
