Rochester presents plan to rehabilitate Tufts Pond dam; temporary 15-foot drawdown planned

Rochester officials on April 9 outlined a targeted rehabilitation of the Tufts Pond Reservoir dam, saying the work will require a temporary drawdown of roughly 15 feet for about four to five weeks to allow crews to access and repair the dam face and outlet.

Gretchen Young, Deputy Director of Public Works for Rochester, introduced the project and said engineers from Wright-Pierce have designed repairs focused on seepage control, resetting deteriorated concrete and rebar, and rebuilding the primary spillway and low-level outlet. "It's going to go down about 15 ft. so it is going to look really surprising," Young said of the planned drawdown.

The Tufts Pond dam (listed as NHDES Dam 83.06) was built in 1930 and is classified by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services as a low-hazard dam, the presenters said. Inspections by DES and the consultants rated the dam in "fair" condition with some minor repairs underway in past years; Rochester officials said the project is preventive and not an emergency.

Project materials provided to the Conservation Commission show wetland impacts concentrated at the immediate dam footprint and adjacent forested wetlands. Young said Rochester will file shoreland and wetland applications with NHDES and that Fish & Game will review potential effects on fish during the drawdown. "This is all being reviewed with Fish & Game as part of the permitting," Young said.

Engineers said the work could be completed in a single construction season depending on bid timing; Rochester's presentation showed a broad schedule from August 2026 through October 2027 but noted work would not be continuous. Asked about fish and wildlife, the presenters said the pond will retain water during drawdown and that base flows will be maintained to allow downstream passage while the reservoir refills after repairs.

Some commissioners raised pragmatic concerns about permitting timelines. Selectmen's representative Doug Staples warned the DES review process can add time as reviewers submit questions and the applicant responds. "They've got their 30 days and they're going to ask you a bunch of questions... and then you're going to have to answer it," Staples said, describing a common permitting sequence that can delay start dates.

Wright-Pierce engineers confirmed Rochester had prepared wetland and shoreland permit materials and that the wetland application was brought to the town clerk for filing the night of the meeting. Young said Rochester will go to bid once permitting is underway and will circulate larger copies of the presentation to the commission.

Next steps: Rochester will complete state permit filings, respond to DES review comments as needed and advertise the work for contractor bids. The Conservation Commission did not take any formal action on the project; the presentation was informational.