entering natick sign

entering natick sign

Natick Report

More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.

  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Donate
  • Eat
  • Summer Camp
  • Private Schools in Natick & beyond
  • Public schools
  • Letters to the editor
  • Guidelines for letters
  • Sports schedule & results
  • Embracing diversity
  • Charities/Community
  • Arts
  • Events
  • Kids
  • Business
  • Environment
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Beyond Natick
  • History
  • Government
  • Seniors
  • Natick Nest
  • Fire & police scanner
 
 

Take survey and be heard about the future of South Natick Dam

January 11, 2022 by Deborah Brown 3 Comments

A meeting of the Charles River Dam Advisory Committee on January 25th will consider how the different paths forward could impact recreation and community use on the Charles River, in the South Natick Dam Park and in Grove Park (the two public properties on either side of the river/adjacent to the dam).

South Natick dam

To support this discussion, the Advisory Committee wants to learn more about your priorities for these areas. You can share your input via the following survey link through January 16, 2022: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SNatickDamRec 

Don’t hold back

Since receiving a series of less-than-stellar inspection grades from the state in recent years, the town of Natick, as the dam’s owner, decided it had better either repair the 87-year old earthen dam, or breach and remove it. The high-hazard structure impounds about 160 million gallons of water, and if the dam fails it would do some real damage to its surroundings. Town Meeting in 2019 approved $1.25M in funds to fix the dam, but since then the prospect of just getting rid of it has been been under discussion.

Some say breaching the dam will be an environmental boon, and rid the town of a financial and safety headache. But some who live along the river fear the unknown of what breaching could bring, from stinky sediment to increased flooding to loss of property. Others are more focused on the aesthetic loss, with the earthen dam and accompanying spillway (aka, the waterfall) a popular gathering and photo spot.

MORE:

Congresswoman Clark visits South Natick dam to outline future water quality improvements

Charles River dam advisory committee

South Natick dam yule log spotted

Filed Under: Environment, Outdoors

Comments

  1. Leslie Pano says

    March 6, 2022 at 12:45 pm

    Removal of the dam will put my property into a flood zone. Opposed to removal. There is a list of members in the Natick Dam committee, but no information on how to contact them.

    Reply
    • Bob Brown says

      March 7, 2022 at 8:33 pm

      Sorry to hear that Leslie. Flood insurance is not cheap either, as we know too well. While Natick doesn’t list contact info for the dam committee members, a bunch of them are town employees (including the public works director) whose contact info is available via the Natick Web site.

      Reply
  2. Alan S. says

    July 19, 2022 at 11:39 am

    Why can’t the town sell the land to a group such as the trustees of reservations who can then maintain the historical look and also build & maintain walking trails on the undeveloped side of the river.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Advertisement


Tip us off!

Please send news tips, photos, ideas to natickreport@gmail.com

If you’d like to contribute $ to support our independent journalism venture, please do….

Advertisements

Categories

  • Animals
  • Art
  • Bacon Free Library
  • Beyond Natick
  • Books
  • Boston Marathon
  • Business
  • Camps
  • Charity/Fundraising
  • Charles River dam
  • Community
  • Construction
  • COVID-19
  • Education
  • Election
  • Embracing diversity
  • Entertainment
  • Environment
  • Fashion
  • Firefighters
  • Food
  • Gardens
  • Government
  • Health
  • History
  • Holidays
  • Kids
  • Letters to the editor
  • Media
  • Military
  • Morse Institute Library
  • Music
  • Natick Election 2022
  • Natick Historical Society
  • Natick History Museum
  • Natick Nest
  • Natick track
  • Neighbors
  • Obituaries & remembrances
  • Opinion
  • Outdoors
  • Parents
  • Police & crime
  • Real estate
  • Recycling Center
  • Religion
  • Restaurants
  • Schools
  • Seniors
  • Shopping
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Theater
  • Town election 2021
  • Town Election 2023
  • Town Meeting
  • Transportation
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Vacation
  • Veterans
  • Volunteering
  • Voting
  • Weather
lion publishers
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Get our email newsletter

* indicates required
Our newsletter is free, though we gladly accept contributions to support our work.

Most Read Posts

  • Sign up now for summer camp in Natick (and beyond)
  • Natick Business Buzz: Maggie & Milo's hot dog & ice cream stand is back; ModeX Therapeutics awarded tax incentives; Thanks to new advertiser Prepped and Polished
  • Natick Nights returns
  • Friday is letters to the editor day in Natick
  • Congratulations to the Natick High School Class of '23

Click image to read The Swellesley Report

The Swellesley Report

Upcoming Events

Jun 8
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Retro Polatin concert: The Fifties—The Golden Age of Music

Jun 9
8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

The Deviled Haigs to rock Natick Elks Lodge

Jun 11
10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Art in the Park in South Natick

Jun 11
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Concert: Red Carpet Reveries featuring Golden Tones, Natick High singers

Jun 15
11:30 am - 1:00 pm

Meaningful Connections Memory Cafe featuring the Elderly Brothers

View Calendar

Pages

  • Letters to the editor on Natick Report
  • Guidelines for Natick Report letters to the editor
  • Natick election 2023—guidelines for promoting candidates and ballot questions
  • Natick’s 2023 Boston Marathon charity runners
  • Natick, Massachusetts libraries
  • Comment Policy
  • Bacon Free Library in Natick, hours for winter 2023
  • Morse Institute Library in Natick—hours for winter 2023
  • Resources for seniors in Natick, Mass.
  • Natick Report corrections policy
  • Scenic Roads in Natick
  • Where to stay in Natick, Mass. (hotels, inns)
  • Private Schools in Natick (and beyond)
  • Natick Summer Camps (and beyond)
  • Where to eat in Natick, Mass: more that 70 dining options
  • Natick, Mass., history
  • Natick government
  • Natick No-Nos
  • Embracing diversity in Natick
  • Where to worship in Natick
  • Kid stuff (sports, clubs, activities in Natick, Mass.)
  • Contribute to Natick Report
  • Natick Little Free Libraries
  • Natick public schools
  • Where to sled in Natick, Mass.
  • Natick COVID-19 & vaccine news
  • Natick’s zip code & post offices
  • Natick charitable and community action groups
  • Top 10 things to do in Natick, Mass.
  • Natick Arts/Entertainment
  • About Natick Report
  • Advertise on Natick Report
  • Natick rules: Chickens yes, roosters no
  • Natick Election 2023, political candidates advertising
  • Natick election 2022—candidate interviews

© 2023 Natick Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login