We owe our town officials our thanks and appreciation for their heads-up action. Last week’s reports on efforts to secure the pond relate the most visible aspects of the drama, but the uncertainty of events and consequences of failure to make the right call must have been a real nail-biter.
When the Pond Committee was in the early stages of study, prior to designing the pumping station, we observed water level changes of up to 4 inches per inch of rainfall within 24 hours of the rainfall event. Last Tuesday morning the water level was reported to be 5 inches below the top of the spillway after moderate rain overnight and heavy rain predicted throughout the day. Since the downstream wetlands were so full that even pulling all the boards from the spillway might not have moved enough water to prevent water rising further, there was a very real risk that the dam would be overtopped and washed out. Town officials including Chief Bob Minard and DPW Director Rich Nota made a decisive call under uncertain conditions. Thank you to both.
Chris Ashley
Woodside Road
