Watertown Conservation Commission Backs Charles River Dam Removal in Principle

WATERTOWN — October 12, 2022 — Watertown Conservation Commission reaches informal consensus supporting Charles River dam removal. Meeting Wednesday, the five-member commission agreed to draft a letter to the City Council expressing general ecological support for removing the Watertown Dam, a 1960s concrete run-of-river structure that the Charles River Watershed Association says has blocked anadromous fish passage and damaged downstream sediment flow for decades. Member Jamie cited two years of Division of Ecological Restoration fish-tagging data showing species stalled at the dam and argued the removal "corrects a 400-year historical wrong," while noting that federal infrastructure funding currently available makes the timing favorable. Member Charlie pushed back on CRWA's feasibility study, arguing its flood-risk conclusions were "advocacy tainted" and that the commission should press for a mechanism to manage extreme storm events at the dam site. Chair Leo noted the structure has no freeboard and provides no operational flood control, and Maria shared a hydraulic model showing the upstream 100-year floodplain would shrink after removal. The commission also learned that the town is near closing on a purchase-and-sale agreement for a seven-acre parcel adjoining Walker Pond — described as Watertown's first open-space land purchase — with CPC funds potentially available for future park improvements.