Welchville Dam

Welchville Dam Project

The town of Oxford owns the Welchville Dam visible from Route 26. The dam is damaged and deteriorating. Loss of the dam could affect a number of things:

• The bridge upstream
  The town’s water supply
  The water levels of Hogan and Whitney Ponds

As decided by the Board of Selectmen at their December 6, 2018 meeting, the town is currently pursuing a NOAA Fisheries grant to obtain money for a though scientific study of the problem that would give the town a range of options to chose from going forward. The grant could also include federal funding to implement an environmentally friendly solution to the problem.

Follow up:

The proposed project to NOAA was not selected for funding.  A new proposal was brought forth to the board of selectmen and the Selectboard authorized an Request for Proposal for expenditure of up to $20,000 on a water level study.

• Letter of denial
• Proposal accepted by the Oxford Selectboard Meeting
• Welchville Dam Water Level Study
• Welchville Dam Water Level Study Presentation made at the 11/21/2019 Selectmen’s meeting

The following links provide details:

• 2016 Engineering Study of Costs of Dam Repair or Removal
• December 6, 2018 Presentation to Oxford Selectboard
• Sun-Journal coverage of Selectboard Decision  (https://www.sunjournal.com/2018/12/14/oxford-eyes-noaa-fish-reconstruction-grant/)
• NOAA Fisheries Grant Pre-Application
• NOAA Grant Application
• Welchville Dam Information (color) for survey

 August 20th, 2020 – The Board of Selectmen have voted to survey the Shorefront property owners on Hogan and Whitney Ponds for their input on how to procede.

The surveys and an informational packet will be sent out early September.