Whittenton Street Dam
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The Whittenton Street Dam is a private dam located on the Mill River in Taunton, Massachusetts. It was built of wood in 1832, and was purchased during the summer of 2005 by Infinity Holdings, a real-estate development company in the Boston area. The state of Massachusetts last inspected the dam for safety and structural integrity in 2003.
After historically heavy and protracted rains in New England beginning October 12, 2005, the dam was determined to be in imminent danger of failure and of flooding Taunton with an 6-foot (1.8 m) wall of water. 2000 residents of the city were evacuated and twenty-one troops from the National Guard were stationed in Taunton.
Though the wooden dam held, later inspections uncovered extensive structural damage. Work commenced on a new stone dam to replace the original structure.
[edit] References
- City returns to high alert (October 22, 2005). The Herald News Online.
- How crews tore down and built a new dam in Taunton (October 22, 2005). The Boston Globe.
- Stone to replace wood structure (October 22, 2005). The Taunton Gazette.
- Downing, Terence J. (October 22, 2005). Taunton breathes easier with new dam. The Brockton Enterprise.
