LITCHFIELD — Woodbury Pond Dam, which began to show signs of seepage almost two years ago, has been repaired with a long-term fix expected to last between 30 and 50 years, according to Litchfield Town Manager Kelly Weissenfels.
The repairs cost the town $102,500, about $12,500 less than budgeted.
Officials approved a $115,000 bid to repair the leaky dam last June. Chesterfield Associates Inc. of Westport Island was awarded the contract, which included $15,000 in conditional discounts: $10,000 if the company was able to install a steel sheet pile through the middle — instead of the edge — of the road, where the dam is located, and $5,000 if the sheet did not require coating. The town in southern Kennebec County qualified for both discounts.
An additional $2,500, however, had to be spent to remove two trees, whose roots could have interfered with the dam.
Weissenfels said Tuesday the next lowest repair bid was more than $200,000.
Factoring in the preliminary investigation and engineering, the project, which wrapped up in August, cost $167,414.
If the town had not pursued repairs, the problems could have caused the road across the dam to become impassable, significantly lowered the water level in some of the five Tacoma Lakes, reduced property values and negatively impacted plant and animal life.
Once dam keeper Terry Averill discovered the seepage in 2021, the town worked with an engineering firm and geotechnical consultants to identify a loss of materials in a 10-foot area of the embankment.
Officials initially considered sandbags and pressure grouting, which would have fixed the problem for two years and given the town more time to pursue a permanent fix. Officials later opted to install sandbags but no pressure grouting to save the town an estimated $150,000.
Although a permanent fix is in place, Weissenfels said Averill will continue to keep an eye on the dam to ensure it remains stable.
“We appreciate the patience of residents,” Weissenfels said, “as we had to have the water levels lowered during the summer months, when most people are expecting to be able to more easily get their boats in and out of the water.”
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