Plan to replace two old dams in Nash Stream State Forest raises concerns

ODELL — The state is proposing to replace two aging two wooden dams at Nash Stream State Forest with concrete structures. The dams, impounding the 37-acre Little Bog Pond and the 68-acre Trio Pond, were built during the log drive days when the paper company used Nash Stream as a means to get logs out of the forest. Small dams, like those at Little Bog Pond and Trio Pond, were built on feeder streams that drained into Nash Stream.

Corey Clark, chief engineer at the N.H. Department of Environmental Services dam division, said both dams were initially constructed over 100 years ago and have been on the department’s replacement list for some time. He said federal American Rescue Plan Act funding will cover the entire estimated $5 million replacement cost, allowing the work to be done without state funding.