Town of Ipswich Shares Update on Ipswich Mills Dam Removal Project, Next Steps

IPSWICH — The Town of Ipswich reports that the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office issued a certificate for the Ipswich Mills Dam Removal Project on Oct. 16 following a review of potential environmental impacts, as well as comments from the public and state and federal agencies.

For ecological restoration projects of this nature, the MEPA review process is optional as noted in the Certificate. The Town of Ipswich opted to navigate the MEPA process to receive comprehensive input from a variety of stakeholders.

The application for this certificate was prepared by The Horsley Witten Group on behalf of the Town, which owns the dam. This certificate highlights the next steps needed to move this project forward.

Before moving to permitting with individual state and federal agencies, the Horsley Witten Group will submit an Environmental Impact Report to MEPA. This EIR is limited to specifically addressing how sediment released from the project will be sampled and managed, so sediment potentially mobilized by the project will not have any adverse impacts downstream.

MEPA received 73 comments during the public comment period. Responses to the concerns that were raised will be submitted with the EIR. As noted in the Certificate, the majority (about 70 percent) of the public comments received during this process were in support of the dam removal project. Multiple state and federal agencies, environmental organizations, as well as many residents of Ipswich expressed their support for this project citing improved ecological, financial, and community benefits.

In response to this Certificate, the Select Board of Ipswich will seek additional feedback from residents and will bring the project to a town ballot vote in Spring 2024. Previously, at the May 9, 2023, Annual Town Meeting, a majority of residents voted in favor of progressing the project to this phase.

The Ipswich Mills Dam Removal Project has been in motion since 2012 and has been identified as one of the highest-priority dam removal projects on the Eastern Seaboard.

Removal of this unused dam means not only elimination of liability, maintenance, and operational costs to the Town of Ipswich, but also improved ecological benefits and the health of the river.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the project may be found here.