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Select Board asks state dam safety to contact owner and seeks authority to assess Depot Pond dam
Summary
Town officials asked the state dam safety office to press the private owner of Depot Pond to act and asked staff to check whether the town can lawfully test pond water as part of a plan of action.
The Town of Templeton Select Board discussed next steps Feb. 26 for Depot Pond Dam, which is privately owned and the subject of dam safety reviews. Board members asked town staff to coordinate with the state Office of Dam Safety and to identify a short sequence of actions and milestones — including whether the town may lawfully test water on private property — before committing town resources.
Select Board members said the property owner has unpaid taxes and has not taken remedial action previously at the town’s request. One member asked the board to ask the state to press the owner to make repairs or take corrective steps. "I would like to see if they could pressure him to do something with that dam," a member said during the discussion.
Town Administrator Adam LaBontaine and other staff described prior contact with dam‑safety officials and recommended coordination with Rich Curtis (Office of Dam Safety). The board asked LaBontaine to confirm whether the town has authority to test water on the privately owned parcel without risking trespass liability and to work with the water superintendent and state dam safety to ensure any testing would meet the technical standards dam safety requires.
Board members emphasized risk‑management sequencing: verify whether testing is allowed, coordinate testing so results are admissible to the state, and use the state’s authority where appropriate to compel owner action. "What authority do we have to test it in the first place? Because we're trespassing if we go there," one member said; board discussions noted dam safety can sometimes act when a structure poses an imminent hazard.
The board directed the town administrator to ask the state Office of Dam Safety if the town may test pond water and to coordinate any testing efforts with town water staff and dam safety so the results satisfy technical requirements. The board also asked that periodic updates be provided and that any further steps be captured in a written plan of action with milestones.
