Senator Eldridge and Representative Hogan Announce $1M Grant to Stow’s Lake Boon Dam Repair Project
The state grant will be used to repair and rehabilitate the 1870s dam
Stow, MA – State Senator Jamie Eldrige (D-Acton) and State Representative Kate Hogan (D-Stow) are pleased to announce a state grant of $1,000,000, awarded to the Stow Lake Boon Dam Repair Project. The project will clear problematic vegetation from the area, replace the spillway, modify roadway alignment, install a permanent sheet pile wall, flatten and reshape the embankment slope, and relocate sections of intermittent stream encroaching on the embankment, according to a design update on the town’s website.
The grant was announced on September 8 by the Baker-Polito administration and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). Part of an approximately $19.2 million grant package through the EEA’s Dam and Seawall program, the grants address failing dams and strengthen coastal infrastructure. The EEA program has been releasing grants and loans to address deficient dams, seawalls, and levees since 2013.
According to EEA’s website, Massachusetts faces a growing need for the repair of dams, coastal flood control and protection structures, and inland flood control structures. In some cases, public safety and key economic centers are at risk due to deteriorating infrastructure. In other instances, the structures no longer serve their purpose, and removal provides the opportunity to restore ecological systems. EEA enters into contracts with qualified organizations to implement projects for the repair and removal of dams, levees, seawalls, and other forms of flood control.
“Lake Boon is an important lake in Stow and Hudson as residents built around most of the shoreline for centuries. The dam in the area, which was built in the 1870s, can finally see the necessary repairs it desperately needs. The grant will allow the town of Stow to move forward with the project,” said Senator Jamie Eldridge. “I am grateful to the EEA for administering the Dam and Seawall program and awarding the grant to Stow.”
"Climate resiliency takes a whole-of-government response, and I'm committed to working with municipal and community partners and delivering state funds to support essential infrastructure like the Lake Boon Dam,” said Representative Kate Hogan. “As a resident of Stow, I know well that the health of the dam has a direct effect on nearby access roads, wells in the area, local firefighters' ability to draw water, and commerce in downstream communities, as well as fish and wildlife habitats, outdoor recreation and other dams along the Assabet River. It's critically important to bring the Dam infrastructure up to modern standards to protect our town's important water resource and mitigate the effects of climate change."
For more information regarding EEA Dam and Seawall Repair or Removal Program, please visit the EEA’s website here.
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Image courtesy of Lake Boon Association (http://healthylakeboon.org/).
