The Challenge
The Commonwealth has nearly 3,000 dams across the state, most of which no longer serve the purpose they originally intended. Outdated, obsolete dams continue to degrade the Commonwealth’s rivers and streams and present flood hazards and other safety risks to local communities. The effects of climate change, including rising temperature and frequency of severe storms, continue to increase the environmental impacts and community hazards associated with these dams. Removal of these dams eliminates the risk of a catastrophic failure, and reduces flooding upstream, as most dams in Massachusetts are not operated for flood control. The potential climate impacts identified in the 2023 ResilientMass Plan addressed by this action include:
- Human Sector: Extreme flooding, or extreme temperatures
- Infrastructure Sector: Increase risk of dam overtopping or failure
- Natural Environment Sector: Freshwater ecosystem degradation, loss of biodiversity, habitats, and native species due to climate change impacts
- Governance Sector: Coastal state and municipal buildings and land
Project Scope
DER’s Dam Removal Program worked with pre-qualified engineering firms to complete preliminary design studies for eight high priority dam removals. This work provides a technical basis for dam removals to enter the project development pipeline and pursue future work, including future design, permitting and implementation.
These studies help communities advance dam removal projects as one approach to increasing climate resiliency and adapting to climate change. Removal of significant and high hazard dams, especially ones that are no longer used or maintained, eliminates the risk of a catastrophic dam failure and associated flooding, which is becoming increasingly more likely as dams continue to deteriorate, and climate change brings more intense and frequent storms. Allowing rivers to reconnect hydrologically, and utilize their floodplains, makes for healthier, colder, more resilient streams.
Dam removal projects with strong ecological value and climate resilience benefits were competitively selected from a diversity of locations and settings across Massachusetts. Consideration of the proximity of the sites to Environmental Justice populations and other vulnerable populations was considered in site selection. Completion of these feasibility studies and preliminary designs increases the quantity and quality of municipal dam removal projects seeking support through the MVP Program and other funding opportunities. This work also increases the speed at which these climate resiliency projects are developed and implemented.
Metrics and Results
The number of applications DER received is an indicator of the level of interest from communities in advancing dam removal projects. In FY25 we received applications from 21 communities. That is an increase over FY24 (15) and FY22(10) suggesting that we are continuing to build interest and demand for this program. Eight projects were selected and preliminary designs were developed for these projects.
Best Practices and Lessons Learned
One lesson learned in FY25 was the importance of having the project survey stamped by a professional land surveyor (PLS). If the survey is not stamped by a PLS, the dam owner may need to have survey work verified or re-done if they decide to change engineering firms for future phases of work. By requiring the survey to be stamped by a PLS we are maximizing the utility of these studies and maintaining flexibility for the dam owners as they advance their dam removal projects. We plan to incorporate this change in FY26 and beyond.
Project Alignment with SHMCAP and ResilientMass Plan Priority Actions
This project addresses the following DER action in the 2018 SHMCAP plan:
- Remove Municipal and Other Dams Statewide - Remove unwanted, obsolete municipal and other dams to reduce public hazards, improve ecological health, and increase the climate resilience of human and natural communities.
This project addresses the DER action 22d in the 2023 ResilientMass plan:
- Municipal and other dam removals Year 1: feeding the project pipeline for strong ecological value and climate resilience benefits.
This project is directly related to DER ResilientMass Plan Action “Dam Removal Preliminary Design Studies: Assisting municipalities and others with dam removal planning and design, while feeding the pipeline for high value and climate resilient ecological restoration projects".
Further Action
DER plans to continue to offer this program to build the dam removal pipeline, and will hopefully be able to expand the number of studies we complete each year.
Additional Information and Resources
During the Spring 2024 Dam Removal Preliminary Design studies, DER shared a video of a site visit in Monson, MA to social media (including Twitter and Instagram). The Instagram Post has been the highest reaching post of 2024 as of July 2024 (1,936 plays, reaching 1,337 accounts, and actively engaged by 70 people. A summary of the work was also included in DER’s Spring 2024 Ebb & Flow Newsletter.