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Public meeting slated for proposed rehabilitation of Hop Brook Dam, Northborough

AMHERST, Mass. (November 5, 2008) – Northborough residents are invited to a public meeting on Thursday, November 20, 2008, 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm in the Robert E. Melican Middle School Library, 145 Lincoln Street, Northborough, to discuss a proposed project to upgrade the Hop Brook Dam, located off the Route 20 Southwest Cutoff between Davis Street and Tomblin Hill Road.

Staff from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will present information about the proposed project and the public will have an opportunity to ask questions and comment at the meeting.

DCR, which owns, operates and maintains the Hop Brook Dam, has requested federal funding through the NRCS Watershed Rehabilitation Program to upgrade the dam to accommodate runoff from land use changes since the dam was built in 1964.

Significant upstream urban development in the Sudbury-Assabet-Concord (SuAsCo) rivers watershed has generated the need to upgrade six of the 10 dams built between 1962 and 1987 by NRCS and DCR. Since their construction, DCR and NRCS has checked the dams annually and after significant storms.

Although the dams are still structurally sound and do not pose an imminent threat to public safety, the increased land development generates higher amounts of runoff than the dams were originally designed to handle. Upgrading the dams will not only provide better flood protection, but will also maintain wetland and wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation such as nature and hiking trails.

The 23 foot high Hop Brook Dam currently can store nearly 437 million gallons of water, protecting 170 homes and businesses, as well as 14 bridges, saving the town an estimated $118,000 annually by preventing flood damage.

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Media Contact:

Diane Baedeker Petit
413-253-4371
Diane.Petit@ma.usda.gov

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