Hadley dike on Connecticut River needs repairs

By Nick Grabbe
Staff Writer

Published on June 27, 2008

HADLEY - A portion of the dike holding back the Connecticut River is slumping in Hadley and it will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to prevent significant erosion and possible flooding.

The problem is near the intersection of West Street and North Lane, where the river turns to the west. The problem extends vertically from the top of the dike to the water's edge and several hundred feet horizontally, said Town Administrator David Nixon.

"This has to get done," he said. "This repair needs to happen."

The question of how to pay for it will be on the agenda of the Board of Selectmen at their July 2 meeting. A special Town Meeting will be called this summer to seek an appropriation, Nixon said.

The worst-case scenario would be for the dike to subside into the river at a time when the river is high, he said. "We could see the course of the river change and flow down the West Street common," he said.

The dike was built in 1926 and sustained significant damage in the hurricane of 1938. It was repaired in different places in 1993 and 2004, Nixon said. The portion of the dike that is under stress has never been repaired.

Based on previous experience, the cost of the repair could be as high as $800,000, he said.

Officials have contacted state Rep. John Scibak, D-South Hadley, and state Sen. Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst, who have put in requests for financial assistance in transportation and environmental bond bills. They have also contacted U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, for federal help, Nixon said.

The cost of engineering and permitting alone will be about $70,000, he said. Any town money that's needed could come from reserves, from higher taxes approved by a ballot vote, or from borrowing, he said.

"It depends on how much and when, and what makes the best sense to meet the current task and leaves the town in a strong enough financial position to handle the financial bad weather we're expecting," Nixon said.

The river was recently measured at 12.5 feet, and flooding occurs at 22 feet. Typically, in summer the river is at eight to 15 feet, and the highest level is usually in the spring, he said, so there is no immediate danger unless there is a hurricane or tropical depression this summer.

"We don't want to be Chicken Little, but we don't want to belittle it, either," said Gerald Devine, chairman of the Board of Selectmen.

Nixon said he's been concerned about the integrity of the dikes since he became town administrator.

"We're going to have to do a better job of maintaining them," he said. "We have to do an overall assessment and possibly upgrade the entire dike system."

Since 2000, fiscal contraction has caused maintenance to be deferred, he said. "We haven't done the job that we should do in terms of maintenance," he said.