Bullough’s Pond Dam Project

Nestled in a residential neighborhood just upstream from the village of Newtonville, the Bullough’s Pond Dam originally dates back to the late 1600s and is a critical piece of infrastructure. It was last rehabilitated 95 years ago in 1926. If water rises over the edge of the Bullough’s Pond Dam (an overtopping event), a large area downstream in Newtonville (as shown by flood inundation maps) would experience significant flooding. This flood zone includes over 450 homes, Newton North High School, commercial areas, Cabot Park, and the Mass Turnpike.

Federal and state dam safety rules for dams are designed to minimize a potential disaster downstream in the case of a breach, failure, or overtopping event. In 2017, the State’s Office of Dam Safety (ODS) inspected the Bullough’s Pond dam. It found it to be in a “Poor Condition” category. The Bullough’s Pond Dam has a series of deficiencies including: potential for embankment overtopping, spillway training wall mortar missing, scour areas along the downstream channel that threaten the toe of the dam, scarping along the upstream slope, unwanted vegetation, and larger trees growing on the dam in violation of the ODS Policy on Trees on Dams.

As a result of that inspection, the City is required to rehabilitate the Bullough’s Pond Dam to bring it into compliance with dam safety regulations. In July 2018, the State’s Office of Dam Safety issued a Dam Safety Order to the City. We were required to conduct a “Phase II” Inspection and Investigation.

As required by the 2018 Dam Safety Order, Newton hired an engineering firm to conduct the Phase II studies. These studies were completed by GZA Geo-Environmental in 2020. The Phase II report presented some alternative approaches for repairs to the dam. All of the options involved repairs to the spillway and walls and the removal of trees/vegetation on the dam as required by ODS policy.

Neighbors to Bullough’s Pond understand the need to repair the dam and are also interested in preserving as many of the trees and vegetation as possible consistent with that overarching goal. After hearing these concerns from the community and gathering more information, the City developed a Request for Qualifications/Proposals (RFQ/P) for the design of the dam rehabilitation, with the goals of improving dam safety and minimizing the impact to trees around the dam.

In January 2021, the City sent out the RFQ/P to three engineering firms that specialize in dam rehabilitation. The RFQ/P requires the engineering firms to investigate alternatives and then design a solution that will satisfy ODS dam safety requirements while minimizing the impact to the historic site and landscape of the Bullough’s Pond Dam and Laundry Brook Forest.

The scope of services provided with the RFQ/P requires that the chosen consultant listen carefully to and gather information from many stakeholders as it investigates alternatives and then designs a solution. The scope of services requires the chosen consultant to meet with members of the Bullough’s Pond Association, the City Council, the Department of Public Works, the Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture (including the Tree Warden), the Conservation Commission Agent, and the Conservation Commission prior to developing its design recommendations.

A selection committee will evaluate the three responses and select the firm to proceed with investigation of alternatives and the final design of the dam rehabilitation. The selection committee is comprised of the City Engineer, the Chief Environment Planner, the Director of Water/Sewer/Stormwater, the Parks, Recreation and

Culture Open Space Coordinator, the City Engineer Construction Project Manager, and the City of Newton’s Chief Operating Officer.

Please know that the State’s Office of Dam Safety will need to approve the proposed design solution before the City can undertake the rehabilitation of the dam.

We expect the selection to take place during April. As usual, once the selection is made, the evaluation of all three and the selected firm will be shared publicly. At every step of the investigation, design, and construction process, we will be in close touch with the many interested residents and City Councilors. We are confident that we will rebuild the dam, protect the entire downstream Newtonville area and be as sensitive as possible to the trees and vegetation which add beauty, environmental health, and screening to the very special Bullough’s Pond area.

Additional Information

 Office of Dam Safety Report

Office of Dam Safety Order 

GZA's Phase II Report for Bullough's Pond Dam

Request for Qualifications & Proposals Engineering Design Services

Scope of Services