SWANZEY, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) – The Upper Wilson Pond Dam reconstruction is almost finished after months of intensive construction work.

Following a competitive public bidding process, the Town of Swanzey awarded the project to Gordon Services Property Management in Jaffrey to address structural concerns identified by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) Dam Bureau. Construction began in late May 2024, and an inspection by DuBois & King, the project engineer, alongside NHDES officials, has determined that the reconstruction is substantially complete.

The temporary water control system used during the project has now been dismantled, allowing water to flow over the dam once water levels rise sufficiently. Remaining tasks, such as seeding the dam embankment and installing safety fencing, are still being completed. Until these final steps are wrapped up, the town advises the public to avoid the area.

This project, approved by voters in the 2022 Town Meeting, is financed through $1 million in state grants from the NHDES High Hazard Dam Grant Program, supplemented by local bond and capital reserve funds. The Upper Wilson Pond Dam was originally flagged as deficient in 2011, with issues including deteriorating concrete and downstream safety risks. It follows the successful reconstruction of the Lower Wilson Pond Dam, completed in 2019.