Welchville Dam Control

The Welchville Dam, which sits at the intersection of State Routes 26 and 121 at Welchville Junction, is owned and maintained by the Town of Oxford. However, HWPA members have a vested interest in the deliberations regarding the dam since management of the dam, controlled by a concrete spillway and riser tower as well as a larger earthen spillway, have a significant impact on our pond levels. Both Hogan and Whitney have outflows (during regular water levels) that drain to a stream that empties into the Little Androscoggin just above the Welchville Dam. The Welchville Dam’s structure has been deteriorating for years. The town has conducted several engineering studies and proposals have been made for replacement. 

The most recent plan (March 17, 2022) calls for a series of large boulder structures to be built on the outlet stream. These are designed to act like a dam, raising the level of the stream and the ponds behind the rock controls to an acceptable level (yet to be determined). If this design is successful, it would act as a replacement for the Welchville Dam which would eventually be removed. 

The duration of this experimental period before old dam removal is still being negotiated with the Town, state regulators, and the Army Corps of Engineers. All the design work for the dam controls has been completed and funding for the project is forthcoming from a Congressional grant of $800,000 and town match of $300,000. The town and dam control engineers have completed all state reviews, as well as a review by the US Army Corps of Engineers. We are now just waiting on US Housing and Urban Development approval since they have oversight over Congressional grants of this nature. It is anticipated that work on the project can begin in Summer 2024.