Repairs needed to Walden Pond dam scheduled

LYNN – It is not in danger of collapsing but the Walden Pond dam is in “poor condition,” according to a report prepared for the Water and Sewer Commission, and it needs repairs.Commission Director Daniel O?Neill said Water and Sewer will spend $500,000 to fix stone dislodged on the dam spillway, repoint missing mortar and repair the discharge channel. O?Neill said water pouring down the spillway during the torrential rains of May 2006 caused some the damage.The state added the 1,000 foot- by-29-foot dam to a long list of dams, some in danger of collapse and others damaged by extensive flooding, in the wake of that storm.?The spillway had not been activated in years until the ?Mother?s Day? storm,” O?Neill said, adding the work is scheduled to be completed by the end of November.The Walden dam is classified by the state Office of Dam Safety as a “high hazard” dam, a reference to its proximity to Lynn homes and businesses. The Office in November 2007 outlined work needed on the dam and a February 2009 evaluation of the dam by Commission consultant Camp, Dresser, McKee recommended Water and Sewer undertake the work.Overflowing water from the pond during the May, 2006 storm prompted two Saugus residents to sue the commission last April for $300,000.Betsi Bell and Pamela Anastas, 88 Walden Pond Ave., claim in their Superior Court complaint that the decision during the height of the storm on May 15, 2006 to open a manual spill-over valve dumped more than a foot of water into their basement.Their lawsuit accused Water and Sewer of failing to adequately maintain the pond?s drainage system and failing to inspect and improve water control and relief systems associated with Walden Pond dam.Anastas and Bell said the basement flooding damaged walls, baseboards, closet doors, furniture, rugs, bathroom vanity and insulation.Attorney George Gregson asked Superior Court on the pair?s behalf to prohibit discharges from the pond until repair work to pond pipework and the dam is completed. Bell and Anastas filed their lawsuit a week after an Aldo Drive couple filed a similar complaint citing water damage from May 2006.The commission is filing court documents responding to the complaints and seeking additional information regarding the suits.