The Long Life, Lingering Sickness, and Quick Demise of the Forge Pond Dam

The Forge Pond Dam was located in Freetown, Massachusetts on a small coastal waterway. The dam was originally constructed in the colonial era, apparently to supply hydromechanical power to an adjacent iron forge operation. The years after Independence were not overly kind to the small earthfill / rockfill dam, and it gradually fell into disrepair. In 2005, the Massachusetts Office of Dam Safety arranged for an independent inspection of the dam, which found the dam to be in Unsafe condition. The Office of Dam Safety then embarked on a long search for the legal owner of the structure, and upon finding him issued appropriate Orders to address the observed safety hazards. However, the private owner was less than cooperative, even in the face of stifffines. Before further actions could be taken, the owner passed away, leaving the dam in legal limbo. Then in February 2010, the first in a series of three floods struck southeastern Massachusetts, prompting evacuation of downstream residents. This prompted the Commissioner in charge of the Office of Dam Safety to issue an Emergency Order permitting the Commonwealth to breach the dam. A design was developed and the project bid and awarded in a matter of weeks. However, just days after the start of work in March 2010, a second flood struck the area. A downstream bridge was destroyed, but the dam held… long enough to be breached in a controlled manner just two weeks later. 10 pp.