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Committee votes to transfer Weeks Crossing Dam to Warren after reconstruction
Summary
The committee approved transferring Weeks Crossing Dam from the state to the town of Warren after reconstruction following a 2017 failure; DES said FEMA covered about 75% of reconstruction costs and the town voted in March 2023 to accept ownership once rebuilt.
The Long Range Capital Planning & Utilization Committee approved the transfer of Weeks Crossing Dam to the town of Warren after state‑led reconstruction following a 2017 flood failure.
Corey Clark, chief engineer at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, told the committee that Weeks Crossing Dam failed on July 1, 2017, during a significant thunderstorm in the Baker River Valley and that the failure overtopped and caused damage to nearby Gould Hill Road. Clark said the dam provided important recreational value and fire‑suppression benefits to Warren and that the town, DES, and the state’s fish and game office agreed that the state would rebuild the dam and the town would assume ownership once reconstruction was complete. "Weeks Crossing Dam failed during a flooding event resulting from a significant thunderstorm in the Baker River Valley," Clark said.
Clark said DES worked with FEMA to secure reimbursement for reconstruction and that FEMA funded about 75% of the rebuild. He told the committee that the town voted in March 2023 to accept ownership and that DES is close to finalizing the documentation needed to transfer the funding and complete the ownership transfer. The item was presented previously to the New Hampshire Council on Resources and Development (CORD), which approved it on May 11, 2023, Clark said.
DES framed the transfer as part of an ongoing state objective to reduce the number of dams it owns because of increasing maintenance and liability costs. The committee voted to approve the transfer; committee members were encouraged to inform municipalities that the state is willing to transfer dam ownership to towns under appropriate conditions.
Next steps: DES will finalize FEMA reimbursement documentation and complete the deed/transfer paperwork with the town of Warren before ownership and maintenance responsibilities formally change hands.
