The Jefferson Board of Selectmen voted to spend about $5000 to repair the Meserve Mill Dam.
The dam, also called the Mill Pond Dam, sits on the west branch of Davis Stream on a property on Washington Road. The town owns the dam and is responsible for maintenance, the selectmen said.
The repairs will fix riprap on the south side of the dam that washed out during the Patriots’ Day storm in 2007. The selectmen voted at their Oct. 24 meeting to authorize the road commissioner to “repair the dam and make it safe for access.”
Road Commissioner Alan Johnston estimated the work will cost about $5000. The money will be taken from the Meserve Mill Dam Fund – a reserve account created for repairs to the dam – which contains $10,249.48, according to this year’s town report.
The selectmen said a state inspector visited the dam recently and told the town the dam is not big enough for the stream. With five inches of rain or more, the dam cannot handle flows even when it’s wide open, the inspector said.
For now, the road commissioner will simply repair the existing dam.
Over the last few years, questions have arisen regarding who is responsible for opening the dam in preparation for large storms. At a recent selectmen’s meeting, resident Tom Greenleaf, whose property abuts the dam, said he’s been maintaining the water level and preparing the dam for storms.
The town is responsible for controlling the level at the dam. The selectmen said, moving forward, the road commissioner or the town EMA director – at the selectmen’s authorization – will open the dam when large rains are expected.
