Charles River Dam Advisory Committee

The decision to remove the spillway and restore the river was made following extensive analysis and community consultation.

This process was initially led by the Charles River Dam Advisory Committee, which was appointed by the Town Administrator. Members included representatives from many municipal boards and commissions, Town Meeting, abutters, the Natick Nipmuc Indian Council, Town staff, and more. Click here to see a list of Charles River Dam Advisory Committee members.

Left: Photo of Advisory Committee Members during site walk of a dam repair project in Moore State Park

From May 2021 - September 2022, the Advisory Committee held 14 public meetings, distributed community surveys, engaged with river abutters, commissioned additional research and met with issue experts. 

At the conclusion of this process, 16 of the 18 Committee members (89%) voted to recommend removing the spillway and restoring the river. Two members (11%) voted to recommend repairing the dam, but said they could live with removing the spillway. The Advisory Committee published a final report detailing its findings and rationale on September 7, 2022, and presented the report to the Select Board on September 21, 2022. 

This webpage documents the Advisory Committee's research, including technical reports, community input, and presentations from issue experts on flooding and safety, ecology, history and culture, community use and recreation, and financial impacts.

Advisory Committee Meetings

Meeting 1: Introductions and Work Plan
April 5, 2021 @ 4:30 - 6:00 PM ET

• Agenda
• Meeting Presentation
• Meeting Recording
• Meeting Summary

Meeting 2: Community Engagement Findings
September 2, 2021 @ 4:00 - 6:00 PM ET

• Agenda
• Meeting Presentation
• Meeting Recording
• Meeting Summary

Meeting 3: Flooding and Safety
September 22, 2021 @ 4:00 - 6:00 PM ET

• Agenda
• Meeting Presentation
• Meeting Recording
• Meeting Summary

Meeting 4: Dam Removal Site Visits to Shawsheen River, Andover MA
October 2, 2021 @ 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET

• Agenda
• Meeting Summary

Meeting 5: Ecological Impacts
October 14, 2021 @ 4:00 - 6:30 PM ET

• Agenda
• Meeting Presentation
• Meeting Recording
• Meeting Summary

Meeting 6: Cultural History and Indigenous Perspective
November 9, 2021 @ 4:00 - 6:30 PM ET

• Agenda
• Meeting Presentation
• Meeting Recording
• Meeting Summary

Meeting 7: Dam Repair Site Visits to Eames Mill and Patch Reservoir Dams
November 15, 2021 @ 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM ET

• Agenda
• Meeting Summary

Meeting 8: Abutters
December 14, 2021 @ 4:00 - 5:30 PM ET

• Agenda
• Meeting Presentation
• Meeting Recording
• Meeting Summary

Meeting 9: Community Use and Recreation
January 25, 2022 @ 4:00 - 6:30 PM ET

• Agenda
• Meeting Presentation
• Meeting Recording
• Meeting Summary

Meeting 10: Project Updates and Concept Elements
June 14, 2022 @ 4:00 - 6:30 PM ET

• Agenda
• Meeting Presentation
• Meeting Recording
• Meeting Summary

Meeting 11: Stantec Findings and Financial Impacts
June 27, 2022 @ 4:00 - 6:30 PM ET

• Agenda
• Meeting Presentation
• Meeting Recording
• Meeting Summary

Meeting 12: Community Input and Deliberation
July 19, 2022 @ 4:00 - 7:00 PM ET

• Agenda
• Meeting Presentation
• Meeting Recording
• Meeting Summary

Meeting 13: Developing Recommendation
July 26, 2022 @ 4:00 - 6:30 PM ET

• Agenda
• Draft Outline of Final Report
• Meeting Summary

Meeting 14: Finalizing Report to Select Board
September 7, 2022 @ 5:00 - 7:00 PM ET

• Agenda
• Meeting Presentation
• Final Recommendation and Report
• Meeting Summary