Coes Reservoir Dam Rehabilitation

The City of Worcester selected Weston & Sampson to inspect, evaluate the condition of, and design improvements to the Coes Reservoir Dam, an approximately 700-foot-long, 20-foot-high earthen dam in poor structural condition with a severely undersized spillway.

Dam repairs also included remediation of PCB-impacted materials identified by our staff during building demolition activities for a prior project. The repair design included removing the existing intake pipe and installing a low-level outlet in the intake pipe and tailrace alignments. The low-level outlet was operated during the remainder of construction to allow PCB-impacted material excavation and disposal, spillway enlargement, and embankment improvements to be conducted in-the-dry. We also provided wetland replication, inundation mapping, and an Emergency Action Plan (EAP).