Great Dam Removal Project

The Great Dam removal project is complete.

Update 9/9/16: The contractor will continue to remove the temporary access roads that they constructed in the river along with restoration of Founder's Park.  They will also begin work on lowering the drinking water system intake in the river near Gilman Park, which is expected to take about 2 weeks.

Update 9/2/16: The revetment on river left was completed and the contractor is finishing work to install the cobbles and loam in the riverbed. Next week, the contractor will remove the temporary access roads that they constructed in the river. Once the access is removed, they will remove materials and equipment from Founder's Park.  Construction site clean-up, including restoration of the park, will continue for about 2-3 weeks. 

Update 8/19/16: This week, the wooden trash rack was installed over the penstock openings. Work on the channel on river right continued and the diversion structure was moved today to allow for work on river left to begin next week. The contractor will continue to construct the riffle crest across river left and grade the stream bed to form the channel. This work will continue for the next couple weeks. If you would like to take home a little piece of history, stop by the Town Office to grab a piece of the dam! There is a box in front of the building with chunks of concrete from the dam that you are welcome to take as a souvenir.  

Update 8/12/16: The dam has been removed. Walls were constructed in the penstock openings and the gates were lowered today. A channel is being created in the riverbed by constructing the riffle crest and cobble substrate, which will continue next week. Later next week, the water diversion will be moved to allow for work on the river left channel.

Update 8/5/16: A majority of the dam has been removed. The last of the abutments next to the penstock will be removed on Monday. A wall was constructed inside one of the penstock openings and one will be constructed in the other opening next week. A wooden trash rack will cover the outside of the penstock, similar to what was previously there. The next phase of the project is to reconstruct the riverbed. Materials will continue to be removed from river right next week. 

Update 7/29/16: Removal of the dam on the river left* side (west) continued and a flow diversion structure was installed so that work could begin on river right dam removal. This was a change in the schedule from last week, which sometimes happens during construction. Dam and riverbed materials will continue to be removed from river right next week. 
*When you are facing downstream (in this case, standing on the Great Bridge, looking at the String Bridge), River Left is to your left. 

Update 7/22/16: The fish ladder has been removed and the stone reinforcing wall on the west side was completed.  Removal of the dam on the river left* side (west) started yesterday and will continue next week. A flow diversion structure consisting of very large sandbags will be installed to ensure that flow is directed to river right, away from the work area. Once the dam and riverbed materials are removed from river left, the diversion will be adjusted so that the dam on river right can be removed, which may begin later next week. 

*When you are facing downstream (in this case, standing on the Great Bridge, looking at the String Bridge), River Left is to your left. 

Update 7/15/16: The contractor (SumCo Eco-Contracting, LLC) removed parts of the fish ladder and created an access to the west side of the river.  They also began installing the stone reinforcing wall on the west side, which they will continue next week.  More of the fish ladder will be removed next week and they may start removing the dam late in the week. 
Thank you to all of the volunteers who have asked to help clean up the rivers! For anyone that would like to help, you can leave items you remove from the rivers at several locations for DPW to pick up. There is a link below to a map of garbage/debris collection locations along the Exeter and Little Rivers. There will be signs in these locations, too. DPW will pick up the garbage on Monday, July 18th. Share pictures or descriptions of any lost treasures you may find by emailing PublicWorks@exeternh.gov!

Update 7/8/16: The contractor (SumCo Eco-Contracting, LLC) continued setting up the work area near the library this week and the water level of the river has been lowered. Next week they will be working near the lower dam to remove part of the fish ladder and create an access to the west side of the river.  This will take about 2 weeks.
Thank you to all of the volunteers who have asked to help clean up the rivers! For anyone that would like to help, you can leave items you remove from the rivers at several locations for DPW to pick up. Attached is a map of garbage/debris collection locations along the Exeter and Little Rivers, which will also be posted on the Town's website. There will be signs in these locations, too. DPW will pick up the garbage on Monday, July 18th. Share pictures or descriptions of any lost treasures you may find!

Update 7/1/16: The contractor (SumCo Eco-Contracting, LLC) started setting up the work area this week and the water level of the river is being lowered. This will continue through next week. The following week we anticipate the water level to be low enough that the contractor can construct the access down to the river. See attached map for the location of the work zones.

Update 6/17/16: A public information meeting for this project will be held on Wednesday, June 29th at 6:30 pm at the Exeter Public Library in the meeting room.  The contractor (SumCo Eco-Contracting, LLC) and Town staff will be there to explain the project schedule and work areas. All are welcome to attend!  The project will begin in July and is expected to take 4-5 months.  For some background on the dam removal, check out the Exeter River Study Committee website below!