View from the top of the Arm Brook dam during a 2017 inspection. (File photo)
WESTFIELD – The second public hearing on the findings by the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on the Arm Brook Flood Control Dam Project is scheduled for Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m. in City Council chambers.
The Pare Corporation, which was hired by NRCS to assess the condition of the dam, has been performing geotechnical evaluations, topographic and bathymetric surveys, and looking at the drainage system by putting in cameras in the series of pipes. They also conducted an underwater inspection of the spillway, collecting and analyzing sediment from the storage pool bottom, and comparing the existing pond bottom with the original from 50 years ago.
The next phase of the project, pending funding, would be to develop alternatives for the dam, including raising the top of the dam, widening the dam, non-structure alternatives or decommissioning. Comments from the public will also be incorporated into their report.
The Jan. 29 meeting is the required second public hearing for the Arm Brook Flood Control Dam project, at which the findings by the Pare Corporation will be discussed, along with their recommendations for Arm Brook dam moving forward.
