Dam Gate Repairs Near Complete!

The MPA President was at the dam all day yesterday watching the whole process and learning more about the gates, their operation and the structure of the dam. He tells us the gate is still under water and he took alot of close up pictures which will be shared with blog readers tomorrow. He said as the state dam safety reports state, the dam is structurally sound and is made up of great granite blocks. He also took pictures of the Sutton Highway Department working on the header of a nearby culvert under a nearby road which needed repair. The President met off site today with the crew from R.H. White about today’s work. The crane today (see photo) is larger as it is being used to lift 1600 pound sandbags into place to block the flow so the divers can get the old gate out. Two series of sandbags are planned to block the flow to expose the gate and so the least amount of water is taken out of the lake. The dam owner’s hydraulic engineer from Maine continues to be on site. Yesterday a temporary wood frame was put in to guide and hold the new steel …

Repairs Begin Today on Dam

Here’s a photo taken at 8:45 this morning with a full crew on board from the crane to the plant manager to the work crews to the engineers. The day was wrapping up at 4:30 p.m. There is water coming out of the dam this evening but Fuddy’s friend “Mother Nature” is already working to bring the lake back up to normal!

More on Tomorrow’s Dam Repairs and the Mill

Just had our Area Representative from Area 5 call in saying he spoke with the R.H. White truck at the dam this afternoon… a crane is coming in tomorrow to lift the new gate into place in front of the broken gate so that the switch can be done with little water loss from the pond. Also safety will be the word of the day as the Sutton Rescue will be parked at the site with the workers using harnesses and other safety equipment and precautions. I should mention the previous posting was prompted by our Treasurer who reported the gate was closed tight even though it is broken and was wide open. This put me on the phone to the caretaker. (Read the previous post for his update!) Fuddy also reports news on the mill in Douglas – crews from Canada are currently taking out machinery. Fuddy personally hopes the mill will be sold to a manufacturing company and not for condos. Both our President and an Area Rep. from Area 4 reported hearing rumors out there of a bid being made for the mill and the three dams but this has not been confirmed so we’ll wait for …

This is it! The Gate is Closed!

This morning our dam owner closed the dam gate. As you know, having received the certified letter and also in an MPA mailing, that they had anticipated the water level would “reach its lowest point on or about October 15th” Fuddy reports the water level in the lake has been going down at a rate of about 4 inches a day for a while. He has been taking readings at 7:00 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day. Today, the gate closed easily – he “could have closed it with one finger” – as the pressure from the force of the lake is no longer there! Tomorrow the repair crew will begin working. Once repairs are complete, the refill will begin. Fuddy is hoping for good snow cover this winter so the snow melts from the watershed fill us up quickly. Manchaug Pond is NOT fed by streams but by rain, runoff from the surrounding watershed, water flowing from Aldrich Pond and beyond in the watershed to the pond at Singletary Rod and Gun Club. I’ll get photos of the dam later today and post them for you! Did you know the property owners from around the lake come from 30 …

A Photo from Days of Higher Water

Here’s a photo of Manchaug Pond taken by a reader/member. I am not sure when it was taken but it is a beauty! A member of the Sutton Conservation Commission paid a visit to Manchaug Pond today! Quite surprised at the shallowness of the pond! She thought it was a much deeper lake in the over 20 foot area. I informed her that the state Public Access Board has it listed at 13 feet.

Water Level Almost There

Thanks to the staff of the Douglas State Forest for repainting the channel markers this past winter. The rocky shore makes for few weeds. If possible… if you see some small weedy patches between the rocks, place some rocks over the area.

The MPA in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle

The Millbury-Sutton Chronicle reported in their October 5th issue the MPA coming before the Sutton Board of Selectman’s September 26th meeting to ask for their support of a Manchaug Pond District. It is a very lengthy article which highlights concerns and questions of the selectman. The article does get quite a few things wrong starting from the MPA President’s name to the fact that the MPA did present the Board with 129 signatures representing 75% of the property owners and those with deeded water rights around Manchaug Pond who support the initiative. The report also fails to capture the intent of the people around Manchaug Pond and why we want a municipal district: to give property owners around the lake a voice! To empower each of us so we can take care of our lake and maintain the water level and secure state and federal $$ to be spent on Manchaug Pond for what we feel is important. The Town told us they don’t want our dam or the waterrights and don’t have the $$ to maintain it! The state wants to breech every dam it can and has also stated they won’t help. The Corp of Engineers doesn’t want …

The Certified Letter

A few of my neighbors asked me what the certified letter was about. Given they didn’t pick it up at the post office and the fact that our membership includes not only the property owners of Douglas and Sutton around the lake and those of us with deeded water rights but also long time renters and a few campers, I put a copy of the letter in the mail with the newsletter. Forgive me on the newsletter too, it is late as usual.. succumbing to a number of technical difficulties as we tried something new with the transfer from computer to the printer’s copier. Anyway it is out and those who are not online may appreciate the printed communication. Hope you enjoy the photo. This was taken Monday evening on the wall at the channel. Its of a fisherman from the boat ramp who caught a nice bass my daughter spotted swimming in the channel.

A Close Look at the Dam Gate and Spillway

The following photos were sent in by the MPA President and his daughter: The gate… The spillway… How’s that for a close-up! You should also know that the MPA has secured the records on the dam from the State Office of Dam Safety for the past 20 or so years. These include reports on all inspections, maintenance, repairs and emergency plans.

The State Boat Ramp

Manchaug Pond has a special designation by the state as a “Great Pond”. Not all lakes have this designation and what makes our pond special is that the public has access to its waters therefore preventing the dam from being breached. (The state is currently of the opinion that breaching old dams, which were needed in the past by many mills in the area, is a good alternative both for the environment and instead of costly repairs and maintenance.) The boat ramp gives the public access to the Pond. Our ramp is state property which for many years was managed by the state through the Public Access Board and the staff of the Douglas State Forest. Many years ago, the MPA membership petitioned the Town of Sutton to provide more involvement/patroling of the ramp specifically preventing parking on Torrey, Parker and Irma Jones Roads when the boat ramp is full, providing a port-o-let for boaters who spend the day at Blueberry Island, and keeping the boat ramp off limits in the wee hours of the night. Sutton agreed to manage and still does with a gatekeeper who monitors usage on weekends from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Cemetery Commission …