Rising to the challenge: Federal, state officials briefed on $90M fix for Hadley’s dike, levee system

Workmen at the Hadley Dike at North Lane in 1888, which was rebuilt and finished by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1828 after bad flooding in 1927.

Workmen at the Hadley Dike at North Lane in 1888, which was rebuilt and finished by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1828 after bad flooding in 1927. HADLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The Hadley levee at the north end of West Street running along North Lane on Thursday morning.

The Hadley levee at the north end of West Street running along North Lane on Thursday morning. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS

People walk along the Hadley dike at the north end of West Street running along North Lane on Thursday. Plans call for the dike to be raised and lengthened to confront the threat of worsening flooding.

People walk along the Hadley dike at the north end of West Street running along North Lane on Thursday. Plans call for the dike to be raised and lengthened to confront the threat of worsening flooding. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Staff Writer

Published: 01-24-2025 5:01 PM

HADLEY — As the town faces a combined $90 million or more in spending needed to rebuild, improve and extend the dike and levee system that provides protection from Connecticut River flooding, state and federal officials are pledging to support the town in identifying the best approach to take in the face of a changing climate.

The dike and levee system has protected the town center and areas west from flooding for nearly a century, but concerns have escalated regarding the system’s stability and effectiveness.

That why town officials, state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, and state Rep. Homar Gómez, D-Easthampton, called for a summit Tuesday at the Hadley Public Library with representatives of several federal politicians including U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.

At that meeting, experts from Northampon-based Woodard & Curran provided extensive information about the dike and levee system, detailed in a September 2023 report outlining costs and recommendations for fixes.

Those include enhancing what already exists by raising the height and extending the width of the dike, at a cost of $25 million, and building a new 13-foot-high levee, at a cost of $65 million, that would extend half a mile along Bay Road, protecting an area that is vulnerable to floods.

Among those participating in the meeting were the state’s Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer, who said the Healey-Driscoll administration’s priority is keeping community and infrastructure safe and that it hopes to work together to mitigate the flood risk in Hadley. Such flooding would not only affect the town but also have regional impacts, with the Route 9 corridor running through part of the unprotected area.

“As we all watch, with increasing frequency, climate-driven disasters shattering communities across the country, we’ve got to ensure we are doing all we can to protect homes, businesses, schools, critical infrastructure and agricultural land,” Hoffer said.

In the time since the dike was constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1928, at the north end of West Street along North Lane, and replacing earlier structures from the 19th century, the dike has been repaired several times as it was besieged bu high waters and erosion. But with increasingly extreme weather events, worries have increased about the stability and effectiveness of the dike and levee system.

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Officials point to estimates of future 100-year floods and a 2019 study by the University of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation projecting a 15% increase in river flow. A summary of that report states, “These significant increases suggest that infrastructure, whose design is based on historical hydrological events/records, may not be adequate to sustain the 100-year, 24-hour flows that may occur during the latter half of this century.”

That report notes that the river possibly increasing to a flow of 209,300 cubic feet per second creates a lot more vulnerabilities, since the current levee system was designed for 180,000 cubic feet per second. That was based on the Federal Emergency Management Agency base flood flow in 1978.

Still, only in 1936, the year of the Great Flood, and 1938, the year of the Hurricane of 1938, has the river exceeded that flow, based on a measurements to the north, known as the Montague City river gauge. A FEMA hydrologic and hydraulic analysis shows that there already has been a 2- to 3-foot increase in base flood elevation, and that the base flood flow has gone up to 182,000 cubic feet per second.

In 2009, a crack was found in a section of the dike and, during repairs, a section collapsed and was rebuilt. That led to the complete evaluation that began in 2014 and the effort to be recertified by FEMA.

The current flood control system includes the 1.7 miles of earthen levee embankment along the Connecticut River north of West Street, running from the intersection of Rocky Hill Road and River Drive to the Honey Pot section of town, and an additional 1.5 miles of protection provided by the Norwottuck Rail Trail that parallels Route 9.

An upgrade to the current levee system, by making it 4 feet taller and wider, and removing and reconstructing the rail trail berm, would maintain the current level of protection for about 57 structures, houses or garages. There are some deficiencies in the levee, with the berm too deep and too narrow, and under some conditions it could become unstable, though under most conditions it meets some of the design criteria, even with some seepage and stability issues.

A less expensive option is to do regular inspections and vegetation and drainage system maintenance, fix areas where animals have burrowed and make sure trees don’t take root.

Meanwhile, a new levee along Bay Road would be about 13 feet high and run for 3,000 feet. That investment would protect 218 or 219 structures, including commercial sites on Route 9, such as hotels and gas stations, as well as Hopkins Academy.

Town will need help

The Select Board is expected to discuss the dike and levee at a coming meeting, but Chairwoman Molly Keegan said there is already awareness that the town will need assistance and develop a plan that will include buy-in from state and federal leaders. She is willing to not only listen, but to act toward achieving a regional solution.

“The integrity of the levee system has long been a concern, along with the recognition that the town of Hadley is not in a financial or authoritative position to solve the problem on its own,” Keegan said.

Hadley Police Chief Michael Mason, the interim town administrator, also cited appreciation for help offered by Comerford and Gómez. “We still have a long way to go and a lot of work left to do, but the safety of our community and others along the Connecticut River is paramount,” Mason said.

Comerford pointed to the extreme weather events, like the historic flooding in the region in July 2023, as reasons to act soon and get state and federal partners on the same page.

“It is imperative that we invest in safeguarding residential and municipal property from the Connecticut River overflowing its banks,” Comerford said. “I am grateful to the town of Hadley and its leaders for bringing us together to learn about the threats to the levee and the options to remediate the dangers of future flooding.”

“Ensuring the safety of our residents and upholding our infrastructure should remain a top priority,” Gómez said.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.