Restoring Thousand Acre Brook Through Dam Removal
Within the Millers River Wildlife Management Area, the Thousand Acre Reservoir Dam removal brings together ecological restoration and more than a century of Tighe & Bond’s engineering history. Firm founder James Tighe originally designed the dam in 1911 to supply drinking water to Athol. After the reservoir was taken offline in the 1990s, the dam structure remained a barrier to fish passage and natural stream flow. Tighe & Bond assisted MassWildlife with its removal to address aging infrastructure and restore habitat along Thousand Acre Brook.
Our team provided hydrologic, hydraulic, and bathymetric analyses, sediment and soil studies, dam removal design, permitting, and construction phase services. Tighe & Bond’s design and permitting were completed in less than two years, supporting MassWildlife’s ARPA-funded dam removal program. The removal plan addressed the dam’s embankment, concrete spillway and gatehouse, and downstream masonry channel wall, with temporary construction access across Thousand Acre Brook and an approach that allows natural sediment movement and revegetation from the native seed bank.
Gallery – Before, During, and After Removal:
Environmental conditions required close coordination between our engineering and remediation specialists. During design and permitting, the team identified potentially contaminated soils associated with treated wood core wall in the dam. Construction phase soil testing subsequently identified a reportable condition affecting soil and groundwater. Our in-house Licensed Site Professionals responded promptly to address Massachusetts Contingency Plan requirements without affecting the construction schedule.
Removing the dam supports the return of an unobstructed brook and improved river and wetland habitat. Thousand Acre Brook is a designated Coldwater Fishery Resource, and restoring connectivity is expected to help eastern brook trout establish populations upstream. The project also supports improved water quality and outdoor recreation while relieving MassWildlife of ongoing dam repair and maintenance costs.
