News  High Street Dam Removal Feasibility Study (Bridgewater)

The Nature Conservancy, in partnership with the DER and the Division of Marine Fisheries, completed an engineering feasibility study to investigate the removal of the High Street Dam (a.k.a. Jenkins Pond Dam) on the Town River in Bridgewater. The dam serves no purpose for its private owner, is rated as “Unsafe” and a “Significant Hazard” by the MA Office of Dam Safety, and jeopardizes the 170-year-old High Street Bridge.

The dam and bridge impede migratory fish passage, interrupts natural river processes, and contribute to local flooding.  The Nature Conservancy, DER, and Division of Marine Fisheries held a public meeting in April 2018 to discuss the results of the feasibility study, explain possible future restoration designs, and solicit public comment. The project team, which includes the Town of Bridgewater, is currently seeking state and federal funding to advance preliminary designs for the dam removal and bridge replacement. The next phase of the project is anticipated to begin in the fall of 2018.