6892-R3_ML&P_LSLA_2019_WinterNewsletter

2019 FALL Hopkins Dam Report Rod Bernier

After the Annual Meeting, Bruce Micucci notified the LSLA Board of Directors that he was resigning as the LSLA Hopkins Dam DamKeeper. Many thanks to Bruce for his 23 years of dedicated

service as DamKeeper. I would personally like to thank Bruce for mentoring me during my 20+ years on the Dam Committee. I pledge to do everything in my power to uphold the high standards set by Bruce and his predecessor, Dave Hopkins. As I write this on November 10th, Little Sebago Lake is at summer high. The Hopkins Dam was opened for the winter drawdown on October 15 th . We started the year 13” below summer high when the dam was closed on April 15 th . Winter melt and spring storms brought us to a full lake on April 28 th . Little Sebago stayed within 2” of summer high until September 21 st when the lake level went 2.25” below summer high. The 4 th driest September on record brought the lake down to 3” below summer high by October 2 nd . Little Sebago maintained that level until October 15 th . Heavy fall rains have only allowed the lake to come down 3” since the opening. We can bring the full lake down about an inch a day with the dam open, but 1 inch of rain brings the lake up 3 inches. Hopefully we’ll be able to bring the lake down 16” to 18” inches before ice in. It has been an interesting summer/fall at the Hopkins Dam. On July 13 th , Dave Vance, one of the dam committee members, was inspecting the granite blocks in the sluiceway of the dam. He found some spots where water was flowing from the earthen dam through the crevices between some of the granite blocks. Probing the crevices, he found that there were some cavities within the earthen dam. We immediately stopped any additional deterioration by forcing strips of bath mats into the crevices. I cut the mats into strips while Dave stood in waist deep water in the sluiceway and forced the mats between the granite blocks using stakes. This temporary fix worked well until we were able to get experts to take a look at the dam to determine a more permanent fix. We hired Breton Masonry to repoint the dam sluiceway. Dave worked with Jon Breton to obtain the best mortar for our conditions. Jon and his crew worked throughout the summer and fall to chip out the old mortar and replace it with the new mortar. They were able to repoint the entire sluiceway except for the bottom rows of blocks that were submerged. They did a fantastic job that should last a generation. The sluiceway in our 129 year old dam looks better than new. We will repoint the submerged granite blocks next summer. There are currently no leaks in the sluiceway and the dam gate mechanism is in good working order. We will work throughout the winter months to determine how we can repair the cavities within the earthen dam and find a way to prevent them from recurring. Early ballpark estimates are that this could cost between $50,000 and $100,000. The LSLA Board of Directors is working to determine funding sources. My thanks to the Dam Committee – Dave Vance and Justine Beaudoin – and to the LSLA Board of Directors for their support. Rod Bernier (Hopkins Dam DamKeeper), David Vance & Honorary Member - Bruce Micucci

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