Milton Lower Falls Dam

Old Pond Dam

Watertown Dam

Watertown Dam is downstream of the Moody Street Dam on the Charles River. With all the rain, the rapids on the bottom of the dam are quite energetic.

Moody Street Dam, Waltham Ma

The Northeast US had several days of rainfall from a Nor'easter that was stalled over the area. The Moody Street Bridge in Waltham, Ma, filled to the brim and hit a 70 year high level, and was at risk of breaching. This was taken right after the water level peaked, and it will go down to normal levels over the next week or two.



Here is a shot of the garbage that has accumulated at the very top of the dam.

Tileston-Hollingsworth Dam

I went to the Tileston-Hollingsworth Dam yesterday to see how it looks in winter. I was hoping for more ice on the spillway, but it looks look good anyway.

Milton Lower Falls

I went to the Milton Lower Falls Dam on MLK Day. The mill pond behind the dam is mostly frozen over, and the spillway was covered with ice and snow, with the water flowing under the ice.

Tileston-Hollingsworth Dam

I went to the Tileston-Hollingsworth Dam on the Neponset River in Boston today.

A new bill has passed that allocates $11 Million for cleanup of PCBs in the river. This may include removal of the dam and the Baker Dam downstream. If the dams aren't removed, they have about 20 years left in their design life (approximately 70 years).

Charles River Dams

I took Columbus Day off to go to some local dams that I found by browsing Google Maps.







These are all on the Charles River in Waltham and Watertown, MA.

At one point there were 32 dams on the Charles, with diversions to power the mills that lined the river. This was the birthplace of the automated textile industry, and the proving grounds for mills that were setup in Lowell, Lawrence, and other New England towns.

They don't power anything anymore, and are part of the DCR Riverwalk park system.

Hollingsworth Dam spillway

Hollingsworth Dam spillway, originally uploaded by alohadave.

This spillway is located under the old Armstrong Flooring factory in Braintree, Ma. The mill pond formed by this dam is known as Hollingsworth Pond or Upper Mill Pond depending on the source.

There have been various industrial facilities at this site since the 1700's. The current building has been abandoned since 1996 when Armstrong closed this factory. Part of the structure is occupied by a gym and furniture company.

The pond is formed by the Monatiquat River that leads to the Fore River.

Milton Lower Falls

Milton Lower Falls, originally uploaded by alohadave.

Pond Meadow Park Dam

Pond Meadow Park Dam, originally uploaded by alohadave.

This dam is located at the northern end of Pond Meadow in Braintree. It keeps the level of the pond at a steady level and regulates the stream that forms from the spillover.

Reed & Barton Dam B&W

Reed & Barton Dam B&W, originally uploaded by alohadave.

This dam is located on the Mill River in Taunton. It was built to help divert water to the Reed & Barton plant across the street. It is downstream of the Whittenton Dam that gained national attention in 2005 during extended rains that threatened to collapse and flood downtown Taunton.

Milton Lower Falls

Milton Lower Falls, originally uploaded by alohadave.

This is the Milton Lower Falls Dam, also known as Baker Dam in Milton.