PROJECTS
RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT
NHDES Letter of Deficiency
Donations
You can still donate to the project. Please make donations payable to:
Ashuelot Pond Dam Village District, PO Box 105, Washington, NH 03280
Memo: Gate/Spillway fund
January 28, 2024
Report: Final Gatehouse Structural Evaluation Report
November 30, 2023
Gate & Structural Report of Water Pit Update
The new gate has been temporarily removed in order to attach the gate stem so the permanent gate can be raised by an actuator, with both upward and downward pressure.
The structural report is now drafted (see the September 26, 2023 update). The report provides a summary of what the inspection was, who was involved, and what their findings were, including field notes and photo pages. The structural engineers need to review the report and either concur or provide comment.
Summary of September 26, 2023 Dam Gate House Inspection
Bob Carter, NH Dams, LLC
The gate house appears to be in sound structural condition. Next steps are for NH Dams and TTG to provide a report of the findings to the Dam Bureau for their review and concurrence. Subsequent to that submission and approval, NH Dams and TTG will develop plans for the construction of a concrete weir in the water pit of the gate house, with the top of concrete weir set to the elevation of the annual drawdown of the lake. Included in the concrete weir will be a low-level-outlet (LLO) gate able to pass flow equivalent to the capacity of the gate house outlet, for deeper drawdowns every 5-years, and emergency drawdowns. In addition to the above, a revised hydrologic model, overtopping protection plans, and a dam breach model, will be prepared, to be included with a permit to the Dam Bureau for construction or reconstruction of the dam.
NH Dams, LLC anticipate having a draft of the report for review by the Ashuelot Pond Dam Village District (APDVD) by the end of October, for submission to Dam Bureau for review and concurrence prior to Thanksgiving.
September 26, 2023
Final Construction Observation and High water Observation Report
July 6, 2023
The chain fall hoist from the old dam gate is now attached and operational on the new temporary gate. We will assess the functionality and operation as we continue to explore a future actuator.
July 5, 2023
The water level has been slowly dropping this morning. Additionally, our dam contractor is opening the gate today to aid the continued drop of the lake level.
The new vertical gate beams that allow us to open the gate are at the dam. A horizontal beam will connect the two vertical beams. The chain fall hoist that operated the old gate is being moved and will be installed on the new beam system. This will allow us to open the temporary gate in the same manner as the old gate. This work is scheduled to begin this week.
July 3, 2023
Water Level Update
We are aware of concerns regarding the water level of the lake. The Commissioner has spoken to the dam operator from Millen Pond and they will not open their gate, allowing our lake level to drop. We cannot control water coming from upstream but the spillways help control large volumes of water. In comparison, the current water level is lower than what we had in the spring and what occurred in July of 2021. We will continue to monitor the water level.
May 30, 2023
Dam Concrete Work Plan
February, 2023
The following report outlines the progress to date on the temporary gate installation at the Ashuelot Pond Dam. A meeting to discuss the actuator will be scheduled soon.
December 14, 2022
The new dam gate is in and functioning as it should! Opened for the traditional 3 foot drawdown, yesterday. Still a bit of concrete work to be done, but that can wait until spring. That does not affect the operation of the gate.
December 3, 2022
The structure that holds the gate is being installed, this week. The plan is to install the gate, right after the structure is complete. Installation is the beginning of next week, if all goes as planned. In case you were wondering how the divers stay warm. Water is pumped, from the lake, to a heating unit. It is then pumped back to the divers wet suits, keeping them warm.
Photos of the “gate” and structure that will hold it.
November 18, 2022
Update on the dam gate as provided by Joshua Watson of M&K commercial diving:
The concrete came out excellent in my opinion. Nice flat surface, zero voids and good square edges. The formed opening is square and level, the exception being the ceiling which was not poured.
The current opening is 56.75 wide by roughly 35'' in height. The frame work is about 50% complete at this time. The steel plate has been ordered today along with the I-beam for the uprights that will go to surface. Final gate dimensions will be 64'' wide by 42'' high. The gate will also have horizontal and longitudinal strong backs of .5x1.5 welded in place.
Steel for the gate should be delivered to our shop on Monday. The Thanksgiving Holiday will slow us a bit for this week, but we plan on installing the structure the following week. We have a little form work and overpour to clean up on the inside once dewatered. We believe we should be able to begin a draw down if needed by the week of the 28th. I will provide as-builts of the steel structure.
October 25, 2022
Dam Gate Update: Work is continuing under water. Building forms to hold concrete. Hope to pour, on Friday. If you look closely at the first photo, you can barely see the diver’s helmet, beneath the water.
October 20, 2022
Good news. The long awaited gate work has begun. Equipment was delivered yesterday and underwater work has begun, for the new gate, at the dam. Putting in anchors for the concrete, which will be poured next week. All this work is done underwater, by commercial divers. No need to drop the lake, at this point. After the gate is completed, the plan is to do the traditional 3 foot drawdown.
October 4, 2022
Dam/spillway/gate update. We now have a contract, in place, to replace the gate. Start date is about the 17th of October. Cost is about $64,000. We are going to apply for FEMA funds, but they have not yet opened for applications. No drawdown needed to do the work. The underwater work will be done by divers. After completion of the work.( Barring any issues) the usual 3 foot seasonal drawdown will occur.
Preliminary Temporary Gate Plans
2022 Gate Update
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We are NOT waiting on the approval of any Dam reconstruction permits at this time.
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Before a permanent gate can be installed, the gate house requires repairs. IMPORTANT. The gate house is NOT the wooden structure/shed that contains the gate. The gate house is the concrete structure, in the water, that contains the gate.
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The gate house is scheduled to be repaired in the first two weeks of October 2022. A temporary gate will be installed during this process. This work can be done without impacting the water level of the lake. After construction, NH Dams, LLC will file an amendment to the current wetlands permit as required by the state.
Draw Down Update
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We should be able to safely operate the temporary gate to complete a draw down in October after the gate house is repaired. This will likely happen later than usual (i.e., after Columbus Day). This is tentatively scheduled to be a 2–3 foot draw-down.
Next Steps
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After the temporary gate is installed, NH Dams, LLC will collect required data for the state, and NH Dams, LLC will work to move forward with the installation of a permanent aluminum gate with a manual actuator.
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We are working to change the dam hazard classification level. This change will allow APDVD to qualify for potential state and federal funding for future projects. NH Dams, LLC will pursue this funding.
Next steps include the installation of a permanent gate and the completion of the dam crest.
REDISTRICTING PROJECT
February 29, 2024
Board of Selectmen Decision on APDVD Boundary Expansion
APDVD Expansion, Selectmen Decision Feb. 29 2024
Appendix A New Boundry included APDVD Feb. 29 2024
Appendix B Not included APDVD Feb. 29 2024
October 25, 2023
On 10-25-2023 a letter containing information about the Ashuelot Pond Dam Village District (APDVD) redistricting request was sent to all current APDVD members and owners of properties that have been identified for the expansion of the village district.
This letter is an updated version of the mailed letter.
This updated file (post APDVD appeal deadline; Feb. 5, 2024) lists the properties that are not currently within the APDVD that are proposed for inclusion in the expansion of the district disaggregated by location showing current assessments.
This image file (pre-APDVD appeal deadline; Oct. 26, 2023) shows the properties within APDVD in red and the properties that are not currently within the APDVD that are proposed for inclusion in purple.
Redistricting Lot Appeal Form. (Deadline has closed)
December 9, 2023 Public Hearing
Meeting Minutes
Town of Washington Selectmen held a public hearing as per RSA 52:5 to hear a request that the Ashuelot Pond Dam Village District (APDVD) boundaries be expanded.
Redistricting Petition
The following petition requests that the Washington Board of Selectman change and redraw the district boundaries of Ashuelot Pond Dam Village District (APDVD) to include, at a minimum, all of Lake Ashuelot Estates, all of the Ashuelot Pond Association properties, and all other properties on Ashuelot Pond. The petition will be circulated at the APDVD Dam Meeting on Friday, July 7, at 7 p.m. at Camp Morgan Lodge and also available on Saturday, July 8, at the LAE Annual Meeting.