Bellingham Conservation Commission hears dam removal pitch, advances four hearings

BELLINGHAM -- October 23, 2024, Bellingham Conservation Commission fields packed-room dam removal debate, continues four hearings. The Charles River Watershed Association's Amelia Dickfell Fabro presented early-stage plans for potential removal of the North Bellingham Dam, a structure classified as a significant hazard in a 2022 inspection with repair costs estimated at $1 million to $1.3 million; she stressed "this dam is not coming down tomorrow" and that hydraulic, sediment, and hydrologic studies would precede any decision. An Army Corps of Engineers project manager confirmed the dam is one of 17 federally owned parcels in the Charles River natural valley storage area purchased to desynchronize floodwaters, and said any change would require extensive study. The commission also continued to its November 13 meeting a notice-of-intent hearing on a proposed anrad for a roughly 338-acre golf course parcel owned by NECC Holdings LLC, a Candle Light Lane berm dispute facing a November 20 town meeting street-acceptance deadline, and a 175 North Street single-family dwelling application whose representative did not appear.