Wyoming Upper Reservoir Dam Reconstruction Starts This Week

The Wyoming Upper Reservoir Dam will soon be repaired, and state officials plan to offer local officials an overview of the project.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management will make a presentation about the Wyoming dam repair project at the Hopkinton Town Council meeting on Monday, June 21.

The state-owned, 300-year-old dam impounds the Wood River to form the 35-acre Wyoming Reservoir in Hopkinton and Richmond. It is a popular site for fishing and boating and DEM stocks the reservoir with trout.

The dam is categorized as a high-hazard structure in poor condition. It was rated with an "unsafe" status in the most recent DEM annual Dam Safety Report.

Upgrades will include a new low-level outlet and sluiceway gates, repaired embankment walls and spillway, and the removal of vegetation with root systems that threaten the structural integrity of the dam. Construction will entail the installation of a cofferdam, which is a temporary wall positioned along the dam that holds the water back allowing access to the dam for repairs, the DEM said in a news release.

The DEM said it is working to minimize impacts to the public. The water drawdown will be slow and controlled (no more than 3 inches per day) and can be stopped if necessary. Work is expected to continue through spring 2022, at which point the site will reopen for fishing, boating, and paddling activities.

The parking lot will be closed and access to the boat launch will be limited starting on or around June 25. The Wood Pawcatuck Watershed Association is aware of the upcoming work and will keep their website updated with information about closures. Signage will be posted at portage locations upstream along the Wood River to alert paddlers of the changes.

Funding for the $2.9 million project is supported by 2018 Green Economy Bond.