Freedom—March 23, 2020—It all depends on Mother Nature, but work on the Ossipee Lake Dam will likely recommence in mid-May, according the Jim Gallagher, who heads the $5 million construction project for the state’s dam bureau.
The new Ossipee Lake Dam on the left and the old dam structure to the right, seen last week. Alliance Photo
If this year’s below-normal snowpack combines with early warm weather, an April start date might be feasible. But if there is a slower snowmelt, or heavy spring rains, the start date could slip to late May or beyond.
“It’s all about the water flow,” Gallagher said in an email exchange with Ossipee Lake Alliance about how the restart date will be set.
Construction stopped in January after the concrete work for the project was substantially completed and winter set in.
The dam is one of two major construction projects on the lake this year. In Freedom, town officials are developing a work schedule for the $1.2 million replacement of the Danforth Brook Bridge on Ossipee Lake Road. The work window was defined as April through October at the time the project was announced in November
Will the water level be drawn down as low as it was in the fall?