PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) will offer an overview of the Wyoming dam repair project at the Hopkinton Town Council meeting Monday, June 21, at 7 PM.
The Wyoming Upper Reservoir Dam is about to receive much-needed repairs. The state-owned, 300-year-old dam impounds the Wood River to form the 35-acre Wyoming Reservoir in the towns of Hopkinton and Richmond. It's a popular site for both fishing and boating and DEM stocks the reservoir with trout.
The dam is a high-hazard structure in poor condition, rated with an "Unsafe" status in the most recent DEM annual Dam Safety Report. The dam upgrades will include a new low-level outlet and sluiceway gates, repaired embankment walls and spillway, and the removal of vegetation with root systems that pose a threat to the structural integrity of the dam. Construction will entail the installation of a cofferdam, which is a temporary wall positioned along the dam that holds the water back allowing access to the dam for repairs.
DEM is making every effort to minimize the impacts to the public during this project. The drawdown of the dam will be slow and controlled (no more than 3 inches per day) and can be stopped if necessary. Work is expected to continue through spring 2022 at which point the site will reopen for fishing, boating, and paddling activities.
Construction work is expected to include closure of the parking lot and limited access to the boat launch starting on or around June 25, 2021. The Wood Pawcatuck Watershed Association is aware of the upcoming work and will keep their website updated with information/closures. Signage will be posted at portage locations upstream along the Wood River to alert paddlers of the changes.
Funding for the $2.9 million project is supported by 2018 Green Economy Bond.
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