DCR WILL LOWER WATER LEVELS IN THE CHARLES RIVER

For immediate release Contact: Wendy Fox
April 23, 2010 617-626-1453

DCR WILL LOWER WATER LEVELS IN THE CHARLES RIVER
TO INSPECT PARTS OF MOODY STREET DAM

The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will begin lowering the level of water in the upper Charles River on Sunday night to allow DCR engineers to conduct an inspection of the catwalk and flashboard system of the Moody Street Dam in Waltham. Water will be diverted from the Charles River into Mother Brook and the Neponset River to Boston Harbor.

As water levels on the Charles have begun to recede following recent heavy rains, DCR’s visual inspections have revealed significant deterioration of structural components on the catwalk and flashboard system. Therefore, before replacing flashboards that were removed last month to lower the water level upstream and avoid flooding, DCR will assess more fully the structural capacity of the flashboard system and catwalk.

The condition of the Moody Street dam itself is not in question. Only the catwalk and flashboard system need repairs.

“Doing this necessary work now will help ensure there is adequate river flow to quickly restore the Charles River to its normal level after the work,” said DCR Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan Jr. “Also, we anticipate minimal impact to migratory species by doing this work as early as possible in the season.”

On March 15, in response to record rainfall and water levels in the Charles River, DCR declared a Dam Safety Emergency at the Moody Street Dam. To prevent failure of the dam and alleviate flooding upstream, DCR took several measures, including removing flashboards at several points along the dam.

By design, when the Moody Street Dam flashboards are released under such emergency conditions, they cannot be replaced until the water level behind the dam recedes about 3 feet below its normal level. Therefore, the normal water level in the river cannot be restored until after it has become sufficiently low to allow the flashboards to be reinstalled.

Due to the perceived deterioration of the catwalk and flashboard system, however, DCR engineers need to fully assess those systems and make whatever immediate repairs are necessary before replacing the flashboards and raising the level of water behind the dam. The assessment also will enable DCR to develop a long-term, more comprehensive repair plan, if necessary.

DCR will begin lowering the water level on Sunday night, April 25, 2010; water levels upstream of the dam will drop approximately 3 feet below normal. Inspections will then be done, some repairs may be made, the boards will be replaced, and the water level will return to normal heights at the end of about 7 days. The work is being scheduled to minimize disruptions to recreational events on the Charles River this weekend, including the Run of the Charles canoe and kayak race on Sunday.

DCR will monitor conditions on Mother Brook and the Neponset River, and no flooding or excessively high water levels are expected on either water body. Downstream from the Moody Street Dam, water flow will decrease and water levels between the Moody Street Dam and Watertown Dam will be reduced.

While it is unusual to reduce the water level as far as is being planned, it is not unprecedented.  The impoundment was dropped to similar levels for maintenance purposes in the early 1970s.

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The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), an agency of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, oversees 450,000 acres of parks and forests, beaches, bike trails, watersheds, dams, and parkways. Led by Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan Jr., the agency’s mission is to protect, promote, and enhance our common wealth of natural, cultural, and recreational resources. To learn more about DCR, our facilities, and our programs, please visit www.mass.gov/dcr. Contact us at [email protected].