Pare Corporation worked under contract to the Town of Ashburnham, MA to evaluate, design, permit, and develop contract documents for a dam removal program to be implemented at the Whitney Pond Dam, a Significant Hazard dam that no longer served its originally intended purpose.

Pare completed a feasibility study to determine if dam removal was a feasible alternative to address the deficiencies that existed at the dam. Study tasks included sediment evaluations, hydrologic and hydraulic assessments, environmental resource area inventories, and subsurface explorations. Based upon findings, Pare developed recommendations for on-site storage of excess sediment which would be mobilized by dam removal; delineation and removal of areas of contaminated sediment; and breach geometry sensitivity models to balance downstream hydraulic impacts and dam removal goals. Based upon the study, dam removal was selected by the Town as the preferred approach.

Pare prepared permit applications and finalized the construction/contract documents. The dam removal was completed under Pare’s construction administration and observation.

Throughout the project, Pare worked with the Town to apply for and obtain various grants including MADER Priority Project Status, EOEEA Dam and Seawall Repair and Removal funding, and other opportunities through local partners, including the Nashua River Watershed Association.