The dam vote: Natick Select Board favors breaching Charles River spillway

NATICK — Culminating a years-long process, the five-member Select Board has voted to move forward with removing the Charles River Dam in South Natick, which will likely change the landscape around the bucolic setting.

In a 4-1 vote Wednesday night, Michael Hickey was the lone Select Board member opting in favor of the other option — repairing the dam. The Charles River Dam is an aesthetic spillway and fish ladder that has fallen into disrepair.

Select Board Chair Paul Joseph stressed that the vote is based on existing information and the board could reexamine the decision as additional information comes to light during the long process of environmental testing, designing, engineering and efforts to obtain funding.

“One of the challenges of this decision is we have to learn as we go,” Joseph said. “That’s what makes this conversation difficult.”

In a conservative estimate, repairing or removing the dam would not be done for at least five years, according to memos prepared by town staff.

Earlier: The Charles River Dam is in disrepair. A ripping debate has ensued over its future

The discussion on the fate of the dam has been a multi-year process spanning hundreds of hours. The Charles River Dam Advisory Committee began meeting in early 2021, consulting with experts and concerned citizens.

Repair of the dam or removal of the spillway would require significant changes to the area. For repair, all trees would have to be removed from the earth portion of the dam. Breaching the dam would involve the removal of the spillway and fish ladder, returning the river to its natural state.

Robert Kearns, a climate resilience specialist at the Charles River Watershed Association, said he is grateful to the Select Board, the Charles River Dam Advisory Committee and all the people and organizations who have participated in the discussions leading up to the vote.

'High hazard': State says that if Charles River Dam fails, it could result in loss of life, significant property damage

“Our mission is to protect and restore the river. The health of the river, that’s really what we have in mind,” Kearns said. He said the CRWA would be lending a hand however it could, whether it be securing funding or educating the public about the project.

Exploring the breach option, he said, is a “big step in honoring what the indigenous people in Natick, the Natick Nipmuc and others have been saying about how they would like everybody to honor the river, and honor their wishes, to make it free flowing.”

Dam is 'purely aesthetic'

Kearns said much public concern stems from what will be left if the dam is removed. In previous river restorations, the new banks of the river often flourish with vegetation within a year, he said. Breaching the spillway will also make the area more resistant to flooding, which is a growing concern due to more intense weather linked to climate change.

According to town engineer William McDowell, the dam was never designed to offer flood control; it is purely aesthetic. Potentially, the town could have been held liable for damage caused if the dam were to fail, which could still occur even if the town were to repair the structure.

“There are very few known precedents — I don’t want to be the first one,” said Select Board member Bruce Evans.

Evans joked that he’s served on large finance committees where members “probably couldn’t agree on a time of day if they were looking at a watch.” Some members of the dam committee who were initially in favor of repair opted to recommend breach, which made an impression on him because getting an overwhelming majority to agree “on an emotionally charged issue is a phenomenal achievement.”

More: Charles River Dam Advisory Committee has a recommendation for the Select Board

Joseph said many residents were disappointed in the Select Board’s decision — before the elected body had had a chance to vote. This agenda item was on the docket in September but the vote was delayed due to expansive public comment.

Board member Richard Sidney pointed out that not everyone who has an opinion shows up for meetings — and most of the people he’d talked to were in favor of removing the dam. Sidney had won a special election in September to fill a vacancy on the board.

Select Board member Kathryn Coughlin said she’s spent untold hours researching and weighing the different factors affecting the decision, including that taxes are going to go up and there are many things in town that also need work.

Recreation factors: Nearly 1,000 people answer survey about boating, other community use near dam

She said he was impressed by a fifth-generation resident of Natick who offered her opinion of the dam.

That resident said "for anyone who wants to restore the dam at, quote, any cost, I’d like them to look at our senior affordable housing” which is also in disrepair, Coughlin said.

Coughlin said she was making the best decision for the 36,006 residents of the town — not a vocal few.

How much will dam removal cost?

Now that the Select Board has voted, officials might take an initial step of going before Town Meeting next spring to set aside money for design work. The memo presented at the meeting says “no additional appropriations are expected to be necessary for dam repair until closer to the construction stage.”

Some grants, with upcoming deadlines, are only available if the town moves forward with breaching the dam.

Several board members said the price tag is a contributing factor in their decision.

According to estimates, repairing the dam would cost about $2.64 million. The repaired dam would likely have a “useful life” of 30 years or more — but would require ongoing maintenance costing $30,000 to remain compliant.

Breaching the dam and restoring the river would have a one-time cost of about $1.5 million. Park maintenance would be one of the few ongoing costs if the spillway were removed.

“Aesthetics absolutely count,” Sidney said. “If we’re going to breach — which I think is the right answer — we have to make sure that we do something down there that is just as pretty and just as comforting to people.”

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Natick Select Board votes 4-1 to remove Charles River Dam