Haverhill is receiving another $3 million to advance plans to remove the Little River Dam, off Winter Street, as part of a state climate resilience grant program.
The amount for the Little River Dam Removal and River Restoration project is on top of $250,000 the state awarded the city last Summer for design work related to the removal. The total project was estimated by consultants to cost $6-9 million. The state also awarded grants to North Andover, Lawrence and Georgetown.
Haverhill Environmental Health Technician Robert E. Moore Jr. last year described Conservation Commission requirements as “erosion and sedimentation control measures during construction, project monitoring by the design team to ensure the contractor performs work according to the submitted plans and documents, long-term monitoring to ensure the success of all the new plantings.” He noted any adjustments made during the construction project must be documented and still meet design standards.
Consultants from Fuss & O’Neil told Haverhill residents in 2022 that elimination of Little River dam, near Lafayette Square, will bring a cleaner waterway and improve recreational access. Phil Moreschi, a certified flood plan manager for the company, explained removal of the dam will produce a fresher river.
“Removal of the dam will provide for a free-flowing system, essentially no stagnation as currently occurs. There will be little sediment accumulation as a result because sediment will be carried through the system,” he said.
Lawrence was awarded $1.6 million for the “Green Lawrence Blue Merrimack” stormwater resilience master plan, while North Andover is receiving $133,150 for the Cochichewick Brook Riverine Floodplain management study and plan and Georgetown $68,000 for its Park and Ride Library Street Resiliency Improvements. The amounts come from the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program and were announced Thursday in Leominster by Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper.