Council Approves DEM Agreement For Upper Pond Dam Repairs

At Monday night's meeting, the Coventry Town Council authorized Town Manager Tom Hoover to execute a consent agreement with the RI Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) for the repair of Upper Pond Dam.

Hoover explained that brought to his attention in April, was a letter to the Town dated several years earlier with no record of response regarding a citation requiring several dam repairs and updates to be made.

The earthen gravity dam, located adjacent to Breezy Lake Beach, needs percolation updates and improved channeling of water through its culvert to a drainage swale. A portion of land around the dam requires new loam as well.

According to Hoover, although the dam and beach area are generally maintained by Coventry Parks & Recreation, DEM requires a dam engineering specialist to be hired for some of the work.

Any contracted work will be put out to bid and brought before the Council in early 2014.