Charles River Watershed Association: "Let the Rivers Run Free" (video)

#ICYMI Watch the full recording from Thursday (02/24/22) night's webinar "Let the Rivers Run Free" about dam removal & recreation featuring Cameron Salvatore of the #CharlesRiverNavigationProject and Climate Resilience Specialist @RobertKearns!

https://t.co/PcVTDKKvLs  or https://youtu.be/pcqWOZtgaHQ

Visit the Storymap  "A River Interrupted" here -> 

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/62917edcb76c4e10868cbb7a79638282

For more about the CRWA -> https://www.crwa.org/

Charles River Watershed Association storymap: "A River Interrupted"

Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) has put together a storymap, an interactive presentation of text, photos, video, and maps. The storymap explains the impacts of several dams along the Charles River and how removal of these dams could help (1) restore the river to its original flow, (2) allow various fish species to return and thrive in their natural habitat, and (3) potentially mitigate for climate change.

Visit the Storymap  "A River Interrupted" here -> 

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/62917edcb76c4e10868cbb7a79638282

For more about the CRWA -> https://www.crwa.org/

Charles River storymap: "A River Interrupted"

In the News: students to Carnegie Hall; dam safety in MA

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Carnegie Hall. 

Just the name of the exalted performance hall brings to mind excellence in music - a place that has echoed with the sounds coaxed into existence by great musicians since 1891, including such legends as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Vladimir Horowitz, Gustav Mahler, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Isaac Stern, to name but a few. 

Three student musicians from area towns will join that group this weekend. 

Meghan Laurence, 12, of Mendon, Prem Pendkar, 12, of Franklin, and Timothy Reda, 10, of Millis, earned the highest scores in Royal Conservatory Music Development Program (RCMDP) assessment sessions, with scores of 90 or higher for their specific instrument and level of study."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170216/carnegie-bound-music-students-to-perform-in-nyc

"While a breach in an emergency spillway on the nation's largest dam has prompted more than 100,000 northern California residents to flee their homes, Massachusetts officials say they've been taking major steps over the past decade to reduce the risk of a catastrophic dam break in the Bay State. 

"The Department of Conservation and Recreation's Office of Dam Safety works closely with key stakeholders, such as state and federal agencies, municipalities, and private entities, to protect the public's safety," DCR spokesman Troy Wall said in an email this week. "The Department will continue to make important investments to the agency's dam infrastructure, monitor dams throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and assist dam owners to ensure statutory and regulatory obligations are met." 

Over the past decade, the state DCR, which declined to make a dam safety official available for an interview, has invested more than $20 million in dam repairs and improvements."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170216/california-crisis-brings-attention-to-massachusetts-dams

the spillway at one of the two dams rebuilt at DelCarte with some of the MA funding referenced in the article

We don’t like to waste things. Our forefathers understood this was common sense.”

Franklin is not like a lot of New England communities where the rivers running through the city/town have been dammed and once upon a time used to generate electrical power. 

"As the turbid currents of the Hoosic River tumble over his backyard dam, a century-old barrier of concrete and limestone, Ken Egnaczak sees a cascade of lost opportunity. 

Day after day, the water flows by without generating even a spark. 

“It’s such a waste,” he said. 

As the state seeks new sources of clean energy to replace power lost from the closures of nuclear and oil-fired plants, the retired mechanical engineer sees promise in the unharnessed power on his property, and at the nearly 3,000 other unused dams across the state."

Ken Egnaczak sat on a wall by the small backyard dam that he is trying to get approval to repower.
(photo credit - MATTHEW CAVANAUGH FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE)

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/05/14/state-and-towns-looking-tapping-into-hydropower/DzhV2W1YHJwHX38GrEJueI/story.html


I ride along the Blackstone River Bikeway several times a year and there are many dams along the Blackstone River that could generate electrical power.

comparison of water flow at the Pratt Dam along the Blackstone River

Additional photos of the Blackstone River Bikeway can be found here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_sherlock/albums/72157622053236460/with/4485646180/

Franklin, MA: Finance Committee - agenda - Jun 5, 2012

The Finance Committee will get the preview for all the financial approvals that the Town Council has on their agenda for Wednesday, Jun 6. If you really want to get a head start on the details about each of the proposals, this is the place to be.



The full agenda for the Town Council meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/06/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-jun-6.html

In the News - election day, dam safety, BJ's hours

Today's the day for Franklin voters

by Alison McCall/Daily News staff

Groups urge action on Massachusetts dam safety bill

by By David Riley/Daily News correspondent

Note: the dams on the DelCarte Open Space would come under this

Franklin Planning Board approves longer hours for BJ's

by Alison McCall/Daily News staff

"something that puts Franklin on the map"

"The vision that the Conservation Commission has for the property is that it becomes a public place for passive recreation and hiking trails," Livingstone said. "Fixing the dams and stabilizing water levels is the first step." 

Resident Ernest DelCarte donated the 130-acre property on Pleasant Street to the town after he died seven years ago. There are seven dams on the property, which was once used as a fish hatchery. 

Some of the smaller dams, where water sometimes flows over and around the structures, will probably be removed. They were built to create small ponds for the fish hatchery that is no longer operating, Livingstone said. 

The commission initially feared the project would cost several million dollars, but they have received proposals for as low as $1.2 million, Livingstone said, adding he hopes the commission will discuss plans with the Town Council in the coming months.

Read more: Franklin commission may seek grants to fix dams

Prior posts on the DelCarte property

Photo tour of the property
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/franklin-ma-delcarte-tour.html

Where is it located?
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/where-is-delcarte-property.html

Town Council discussion in October 2010
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/live-reporting-delcarte-proposal.html






Franklin, MA

"some of the best habitats are already occupied"

By Aaron Wasserman/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Jun 07, 2009 @ 12:17 AM

---

Last month, a breached beaver dam flooded Bob Szymanski's property in Milford. Several months before, it was a very intact one in Holliston that swelled the Hopping Brook so it nearly washed over a small bridge.

Beaver habitats routinely clash with those of humans in metro Boston. Other recent reports come from Westborough, Concord, Bolton and Andover, where a hasty dam breaching flooded a charity golf event.

The issue of beaver management isn't purely academic. Untimely dams can flood houses, or muck up sewer systems and roads - costly problems to repair. In Westborough, the town set aside $5,000 in this year's budget just to deal with beavers.

Beavers' ecological benefits are also substantial, as beavers, North America's largest native rodents, create wetlands that nurture other wildlife, control flooding and purify water.

Read the full article on the beaver dams in the Milford Daily News here

This is news of interest to Franklin. The condition of the dams on the DelCarte land was the subject of some discussion during the May 6th Town Council meeting. The 8-1 vote approved spending some money to get engineering estimates on how to correct the dams. A breech in one of the dams could result in down stream flooding. The estimates of damage were hard to quantify.

Dam, another expense to consider

Earthen dam poses risk to development

By Michael Morton/Daily News staff

FRANKLIN - A dam at the DelCarte conservation area is at risk of collapsing, according to a report released last week, a development that could threaten downstream homes.

---------------------------