I just took a walk over to Echo Bridge to get a sample of what Sandy has brought to town. From the top of the bridge I saw a sight I’ve never seen before. Upper Falls has been turned off!
Up until today, I had no idea that the dam at Upper Falls could be raised or lowered. It’s a strange sight indeed to see the water fall turned off amidst torrential rainfall. I’d guess that this is part of an effort to manage the Charles River water flow during the storm and prevent downstream flooding.
I would have thought that raising the dam wouldn’t give much relief – that the upstream water would quickly rise behind the dam, though that doesn’t seem to have happened.
One other curious detail I saw may/may not be related. The bridge at Elliot St, just upstream from the dam is flooded. It looks like the storm drain on the street must not be doing its job. That’s right next to a brick building that says “Charles River pumping station”. I wonder if the pumping station is pumping the upstream water in to the storm drain system and that’s causing the problem with the street water draining.
All of this is of course pure speculation. Sorry for this nearly fact free post 🙂
I received this email on Friday.
Dear Residents,
We’d like to take a minute to update you on the City’s emergency preparedness
with regard to Hurricane Sandy. Current projections put Newton on the northeast
side of the storm where the strongest winds may be felt. We are, however,
preparing as if Newton will receive heavy rain causing flood conditions.
DCR personnel were contacted earlier today and they stated that the Silk Mill dam
has been lowered in order to create additional upstream storage along the Charles
River. The plan is to keep the dam lowered until the significant rain begins.
Utilities Division personnel have been clearing brook culverts and grates, filling
sandbags and insuring pumps and generators are functioning and will continue to
do so prior to the storm. The Quinobequin Pump Station will also be monitored
around the clock for the duration of the storm.
Thank you, and have a safe weekend.
Frederick W. Russell, PE
Director of Utilities
City of Newton Dept. of Public Works
60 Elliot Street
Newton, MA 02461
(617) 796-1640
Thanks Bill. The only confusing thing about that email is that it says the “dam has been lowered”. I think they must have meant “raised” rather than lowered.
The revelation for me was that the dam was adjustable at all.
On re-reading their email it makes sense as written – i.e. they would lower the dam before the storm and drain more water out of the upper river. The photo clearly shows that the dam has been raised and it is holding back the upper river. Maybe that was the 2nd step, done after the rains had begun.
somewhat tangentially related–the Charles River has much less development along the banks than, say the Ipswich or Danvers rivers around Peabody, or the Merrimack around Lowell and Lawrence, and this helps to prevent downstream flooding. The undeveloped areas along the Charles, like Nahanton and Cutler parks and others further upstream, mean the riverbank soils can act like sponges to absorb more water and release it more gradually, so there is less of a “peak” flood compared to more industrialized areas where narrower channels, concrete emankments increase water flow speeds, raise water levels, and contribute to flooding. Just something I found interesting.
The flooding on Cooks bridge has been occurring for many years now. As I recall, the former drainage was causing damage to the bridge and the city’s imaginative solution was to restrict the flow of drain water from the road into the river, thus flooding the street during even minor rain events.
The church bells of Mary Immaculate were placed on silent after the rains from Hurricane Irene had flooded the belltower last year. Subsequent repairs to support columns and the roof were recently completed and the bells switched on again just last week. The bells had been silent for a decade or more prior to the renovations to the church that have been ongoing over the last five years.