Given its state of deterioration, the collapse of the Larkin Mill dam in the Byfield section of Newbury is inevitable. Selectmen have decided to let nature take its course, but this seems as if it may be a decision that could be costly in the long run.
The board last week voted to leave the 137-year-old dam as it is, though there is evidence that it will collapse at some point. Selectmen sided with the water department and fire department, which argued that the dam provides some measure of safety in case there is a major hazardous spill on Interstate 95. The highway crosses over the Parker River a couple hundred yards or so upstream from the dam.
The concern over water contamination is acknowledged, but so too should be the unpredictability of a dam collapse. Dam failures can be catastrophic events. We can expect that they will happen in the worst circumstance — when torrential floods are pushing their enormous force against the dam. The impact of a dam failure would be felt at all downstream locations, which include some residential areas and the Parker River waterfront around the Route 1A bridge.
The cost of the dam's removal is expected to be over $275,000, which is considerable expense for a town that's already had to cut back its spending and where the appetite for a tax hike is nil. Still, it seems like a reasonable expense, given the potential damage a collapse could cause.
Naturalists too have made convincing arguments in favor of dam removal, noting the detrimental impact on fish species such as river herring. The herrings' numbers have declined steeply in recent years, and while this is not directly caused by dams, there is a strong argument to be made that dams inhibit spawning of so-called anadromous fish in our rivers. These fish are crucial to the food chain that our region's fishing fleet depends upon.
As is typical of our region's dams, this one was built for industrial purposes that have long since gone extinct. Now it's a ruin in the woods, no longer serving its purpose. It ought to be removed.
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