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Date: 12/5/2023
HARDWICK — The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife plans to remove Patrill Hollow Dam in order to avoid a potential dam failure, Central District Supervisor Todd Olanyk announced at a Nov. 29 informational meeting.
Located in Muddy Brook Wildlife Management Area off of Patrill Hollow Road, the dam has been owned by MassWildlife for decades, Olanyk explained. Due to the dam’s poor condition, the organization has sought to remove the it since it was purchased. This aligns with the organization’s mission to restore natural environments.
However, funding was not available for the project until spring of 2023 when the organization was offered money from the American Rescue Plan Act.
“MassWildlife is poorly funded,” Olanyk stated, explaining that the organization does not have enough financial support to maintain all of the dams they own. This is one of the reasons the organization plans to remove the dam rather than replace it, he said.
There are benefits that will result from removing the dam, the largest of which being public safety. The dam is classified as “low hazard” because a possible failure would not risk residents’ lives or cause much damage to nearby properties, Tighe and Bond Dam Engineer Daniel Hammerberg said. Yet, the area is still considered unsafe.
In recent years, the dam has often spilled over due to erosion, Hammerberg stated. Its foundation is also cracked. The dam’s current form was constructed for recreation in 1935 by the Mixter Family after the original dam failed. With the large number of trees in the area, built up brush delays inspections and poses a risk to the dam’s stability.
“If trees fall over [near the dam], it would take a root ball with it and could cause a failure of the dam,” Hammerberg explained.
Other benefits come from restoring Muddy Brook to its original state. Patrill Hollow Dam is “one of the most significant sites of biodiversity in Massachusetts, possibly in Eastern New England,” Senior Restoration Ecologist Chris Buelow stated.
He explained that the dam’s unique status as a cold-water stream meant that removing the dam would allow more fish species to thrive in the area, as the removal would cause the brook to drop in temperature. It would also improve the brook’s water quality.
Moving forward, the removal plan is expected to be finalized by fall of 2024, Tighe & Bond Senior Dam Engineer Daniel Buttrick said. The project would begin in spring of 2025 and be finished by 2026.
After completion, the brook will continue to have a slow pace with water levels remaining the same downstream and dropping slightly upstream, Buttrick said. He emphasized that the water would be released in increments of a few inches to a foot each day. As a result, local wildlife would not be impacted and flooding would not occur.
“It’s not really a complicated project,” Buttrick stated. “We just want to make sure that people in town are aware of things that are going on.”
Residents at the Nov. 29 meeting expressed various concerns about the project, such as the loss of potential hydropower and the impact of the removal on local plant life. In response, the MassWildlife and Tighe & Bond representatives answered their questions, thanking residents for sharing their thoughts, but reaffirmed their intention to complete the project as announced.
For more information about the project, contact Olanyk by phone at 508-835-3607 or by email at todd.olanyk@mass.gov.