Upper Van Horn Reservoir Dam Improvements Project

 

View of Upper Van Horn Reservoir Dam looking across Upper Van Horn Reservoir, facing downstream

 

Updates:

November 2023: The City of Springfield is working on the preparation a Single Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) as directed by the Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). The SEIR is anticipated to be available for public review and comment this winter.
Additional public presentations at neighborhood council meetings are anticipated and will be posted here when times/dates are available.

January 2023: A Secretary’s Certificate was issued for the Project’s EENF in December 2022 (see here - https://eeaonline.eea.state.ma.us/EEA/MEPA-eMonitor/submittal/86db55d1-a770-414f-b658-3313354be626). The City is in the process of developing a Single Environmental Impact Report (SEIR), which will be finished this winter. In the meantime, stay tuned to the website for more updates.

An Expanded Environmental Notification Form (EENF) has been submitted to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) office to start the MEPA review process.  The document can be found at the link below and public comments are encouraged:

Expanded Environmental Notification Form (EENF) - Upper Van Horn Reservoir Dam Improvements Project (link opens PDF)

Comments are due by December 9, 2022 at 5PM and can be submitted via mail referencing the project to:

Secretary of Energy & Environmental Affairs
Attention: MEPA Office 
100 Cambridge St., Suite 900
Boston, Massachusetts 02114

Comments can also be submitted online here:

Submitting Comments offered by the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office

Meetings

An onsite MEPA consultation session will be held on Friday December 2, 2022 at 11AM at Van Horn Park at 494 Armory Street in Springfield, meeting at the Van Horn Park parking lot for those interested.  An online remote MEPA consultation session will be held virtually on Wednesday November 30, 2022 at 6PM.  Contact Nicholas Moreno at Nicholas.moreno@mass.gov for remote access information by November 29, 2022.  To request oral language interpretation or other accommodation, please contact Jennifer Burke (jennifer.burke@gza.com) by 5PM on November 23, 2022.

 

The Project will be discussed at the upcoming Lower Liberty Heights Neighborhood Council meeting at the field house at Emily Bill Park (233 Franklin Street, Springfield, MA) on October 20, 2022 at 1PM.

The City will be discussing the project at the New North Citizen’s Council meeting on October 11, 2022 at 5PM at Kenefick Park. Join us or if you cannot, please share your thoughts on the project with the City using the comments submittal form below.

Check back on this website as new information will be posted as it is available!

  • 5/12/2022 Site published.
  • 7/26/2022 Photograph and fact sheet added.
  • 10/2022 Updated.

(Español)

The Upper Van Horn Reservoir Dam Improvements Project is being undertaken by the City to improve the condition of the Upper Van Horn Reservoir to bring it into compliance with the Massachusetts Dam Safety Regulations and modern dam safety practices. This project is necessary to reduce the risk to downstream life and property and improve public safety by addressing deficiencies at the dam, to preserve the reservoir for recreation, and to improve access for future maintenance and operation of the dam. Based on the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Office of Dam Safety rating guidelines, the dam is currently rated in Poor condition and is need of repairs and improvements.

The Upper Van Horn Reservoir Dam is a Significant Hazard potential, Intermediate-sized embankment dam that was constructed in the mid-1800s for water supply. The Springfield Water Department bought the dam in 1873 and transferred it to the City’s Parks Department in 1909, when it was no longer needed for water supply. The current purpose of the dam is recreation, forming Upper Van Horn Reservoir which is 9.7 acres. The dam and reservoir are located along an unnamed tributary to the Connecticut River. The dam separates the Upper and Lower Van Horn Reservoirs and provides the roadway embankment for Armory Street. 

The dam is approximately 905 feet long and 30.6 feet high. The crest or top of dam along Armory Street is approximately 50 feet wide and the side slopes are steep. The spillway is twin 8-foot wide by 5-feet high box culverts, which discharge water to a spillway chute on the downstream slope of the dam to the Lower Van Horn Reservoir.

The dam currently has multiple deficiencies, including large trees and brush on the slopes, erosion on the slopes, seepage at the downstream toe of the dam, animal burrows, debris in the spillway and chute, drainage system failures leading to erosion, and no low-level outlet to drawdown the reservoir when needed. 

The proposed project will provide repairs and improvements to the dam, including:

  • Removal of all trees and woody vegetation and developing a grass surface;
  • Modifications to the dam’s slopes to improve stability and control seepage:
    • Regrading the upstream and downstream slopes to be less steep;
    • Addition of a stability berm and toe drain/blanket;
    • Addition of riprap along portions of the upstream and downstream slope;
  • Concrete repairs and replacement of the spillway chute, which is degraded;
  • Re-culverting of a portion of intermittent stream that was previously in a culvert which has failed;
  • Drainage system replacement and improvements along Armory Street with new controlled outlet points;
  • Removal and repair of animal burrows and erosion scars; 
  • A new siphon for drawdown;
  • Removal and grouting of a former outlet; 
  • A new maintenance access drive to provide access for future maintenance and operation; and 
  • Roadway, guardrail, sidewalk, safety fencing, access controls, and lighting improvements along Armory Street.

Potential Environmental Justice Impacts:

Short-Term Impacts
Temporary impacts will occur during construction, including air quality and noise impacts from the use of construction equipment, which will be mitigated by requirements to minimize vehicle idling, emission control devices, and control of dust. Work will be limited to normal workday hours to the extent possible. Because the dam is along Armory Street, there will be times where lane or road closures will be required to perform the repair work. These will be advertised and minimized and a traffic control plan will be required, including detour routes. 

Because the reservoir is more than 20 feet deep and because of the nature of the work, the reservoir will need to be drawn down during the construction period to provide a safe, dry working environment needed to support the work. A low cofferdam will be constructed at a narrow point in the reservoir and a pumped diversion of water will be needed. Limited areas of Van Horn Park may also need to be closed for public safety during construction, but the park and reservoir will be fully reopened after construction. 

Long-Term Impacts
To meet current dam safety standards, the embankment portions of the dam need to be less steep and modified to improve stability and address seepage. This will expand the footprint of the dam, which will require permanent impacts to open water and wetland areas. An intermittent stream, which was previously in a culvert that failed, is located downstream of the dam, but is eroding toward the dam. For safety reasons to protect the dam, the stream needs to be re-culverted, which will result in a modification to existing conditions. 

To comply with dam safety standards and Massachusetts Office of Dam Safety’s Policy on Trees on Dams, the dam must be maintained free of trees and woody growth and maintained with grass/turf or other materials (rock) for safety. All trees and woody growth will be removed as part of this project to meet that policy. 

Environmental Justice Benefits:
The project has been designed and is being implemented to improve the condition of the Upper Van Horn Reservoir Dam to preserve the safety of the public downstream of the dam who would be at risk in the event of a potential dam failure and to protect the existing utility and roadway infrastructure along Armory Street. These improvements will also install a means of drawing down the reservoir in the event of an emergency or a dam safety issue for maintenance in the future. 

Further, improving the dam condition will maintain the upper reservoir and park in their current condition to provide ongoing recreational water access for including fishing, hiking, birding, and other park amenities. The improvements are designed to increase safety and maintain Upper Van Horn Reservoir as an open water resource for the community for the future. If left unaddressed, the dam could potentially fail, resulting in the loss of this open water resource and impacts to life and property.

Finally, Armory Street, located on top of the dam embankment, is a major thoroughfare in the Liberty Heights neighborhood and provides emergency vehicle access (ambulances) to both Mercy Medical Center and Baystate Medical Center. The dam embankment and roadway include buried utilities servicing the surrounding neighborhoods. The project includes replacing the failed stormwater drainage system with modern stormwater capture, treatment, and discharge methods which may result in water quality improvements and prevent erosion at the discharge points.
 

Locus Map (Link leads to PDF)

Fact Sheet (English, link leads to PDF)