High Water

Left: A view north toward Smith Point. Note trees in water. Middle: Southern shore of Smith Point, and Heron Rock. Bottom: View looking east from the center of Smith Point.

These photos of Smith Point were taken on March 8, 2011, a day after the winter’s snow finally melted. The massive melt, hastened by a day of rain, left the pond spilling over its banks in many places. A quarter of Smith Point was under water.

With the water so alarmingly high, and last year’s floods still fresh in memory, the sluggish flow of the outlet channel has become a matter of renewed concern. The channel connects Hardy Pond to Chester Brook, which ultimately flows into the Charles River. All evidence suggests the channel was silted up by the two 100-year floods of March 2010.

There has been discussion among City officials about dredging the channel, and an outside engineering study (pdf) has recently recommended doing so. Of course, a project of this size cannot be accomplished overnight. Riparian rights must be discovered, plans drawn up, Conservation Commission approval obtained, funding found, and bids let before actual work can begin. The question is, can a sense of urgency be invoked?

Since last year’s major floods, the water level of Hardy Pond has been on average higher, the pond has spilled over its banks more often, and high water has receded more slowly — all arguably due to silting of the outlet channel. This slow drainage is worrisome. It could lead to another big flood in the event of prolonged, heavy rain — a possibility we can’t rule out after being hit by two major floods in one month last year. Climate change has made the weather increasingly erratic and unpredictable, as the experts often remind us, and as our own, first-hand experience increasingly confirms.

In addition to dredging of the outlet channel, the outside study (pdf) outlined other steps to reduce flooding risk in the large Hard Pond watershed. In an ideal world, they’d all be given priority as matters of public safety, and completed without delay — so pond abutters and area residents could feel secure in their homes once again. Let’s hope. Better yet, write or call your city councilor and the Mayor.

Click an image to enlarge it. Comments are welcome.