No holding back Braintree's Monatiquot River as dam demolition begins

BRAINTREE − Bricks fell with a clatter. Concrete crumbled as the steel jaws of an excavator's crusher attachment took another bite. Even a large steel beam was ripped from its longtime home.

In a matter of minutes Tuesday afternoon, the Armstrong Dam was a few feet shorter and on its way to its ultimate demise as a crowd of officials and construction workers watched.

The removal of the dam, and another one downstream, is part of the $5.5 million Monatiquot River Restoration Project. When completed, it will remove barriers that prevent river herring from swimming from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to spawning grounds at Great Pond, something they haven't been able to do for centuries.

Contaminated sediment will be removed from the riverbed and the bottom of Hollingsworth Pond behind the dam, which will disappear.

A walking trail and observation platform will be built along the bank of the river.

Braintree Conservation Planner Kelly Phelan said getting the project to construction took two decades and involves numerous partners in federal, state and local government as well as environmental organizations.

Braintree Mayor Charles Kokoros called the Monatiquot "a hidden river," much of it unseen behind buildings and dams, and he said there were many challenges getting the project to this point.

Once completed, the project "gives us a beautiful place to visit. It is a historic change we are making that will be used for generations to come."

He commended Phelan for her determined pursuit of the project.

"She never gave up on it," Kokoros said.

Eric Hutchins, a fisheries biologist for the National Marine Fisheries Service, said next spring will be the first time in more than two centuries that river herring will be able to swim upriver to reach spawning grounds. River herring are an important food for larger fish and birds, he said.

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Besides providing fish with access to spawning grounds, the project is expected to help protect the town from the effects of climate change.

Removal of the dams will eliminate the potential for a catastrophic dam failure during a severe storm. It also will increase floodplain along the restoration area. Plantings along the river will increase shade and reduce the "heat island effect." And the river water will be cooler, increasing the dissolved oxygen in the water, which is critical to all forms of aquatic life.

During Colonial times, the river's flow was used to power a gristmill and a sawmill. In 1823, Paul Revere and Co., a copper and brass manufacturing company founded by the famed patriot, bought the property where the dam is located for a copper foundry.

In 1832, the property was sold to Mark Hollingsworth, who operated the Monatiquot Mills paper mill for 70 years. It was followed by several rubber companies before being sold to the Armstrong Co. during the 1930s. Armstrong operated a sprawling factory at the site until, with the shift to offshore manufacturing, it closed for good in 1995. Much of the factory was town down between 2018 and 2021.

Town Council President Meredith Boericke said the dam removal project will be a catalyst for economic development on the adjacent 26 acres of land at Hancock and Plain streets.

Money for the project comes from over $2 million from the federal government and $1 million from the state dam and sea wall program. The town is contributing $300,000, with other contributions coming from property owner Hollingsworth Pond LLC and other sources.

The contractor for the project is Maverick Construction Management Services and the engineer is SLR Consulting.

Phelan said she hopes the project is completed in the spring.

Reach Fred Hanson at [email protected].

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