Who: Local communities, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
What: 50th anniversary of construction of Hopkinton-Everett dams
When: Saturday, July 28, 2012 at 10 a.m.
Where: Corps project office, Hopkinton, New Hampshire
Why: To observe 50 years of flood risk reduction to region
CONCORD, Mass. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, the communities of Hopkinton, Henniker, Dunbarton, and Weare, along with several other agencies and groups will observe the 50th anniversary of the Hopkinton and Everett Dams in a ceremony on July 28, 2012 at the project office in Hopkinton, New Hampshire.
The dam at Hopkinton Lake, located on the Contoocook River in Hopkinton, and the dam at Everett Lake, located on the Piscataquog River in Weare, are connected by a two-mile long canal and in moderate to severe flooding are operated as a single flood risk management project. Construction of the dual facility was completed in 1962 at a cost of $21.4 million.
The Hopkinton-Everett Lakes project provides flood protection to residential, commercial, and industrial property downstream on the Contoocook and Piscataquog rivers, which are tributaries of the Merrimack River. They were built in response to floods of the 1920s and 1930s and have prevented more than $217.1 million in flood damages since they were built.
A formal ceremony to observe the 50th anniversary of the completion of the dam will be held on Saturday, July 28, 2012 at the project office located at 2097 Maple Street in Hopkinton, N.H. The Corps’ New England District Color Guard will open the ceremony at 10 a.m. There will be guided tours of the dams for visitors and other activities.
For up-to-date information, call Park Manager Stephen Dermody at (603) 746-3601 or visit the lakes’ web site at www.corpslakes.us/HopkintonEverett or http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/recreati/hel/helhome.htm.