Discussions on land use around dams in Hopkinton, Franklin and Webster

The Army Corps of Engineers will hold public gatherings later this month as it prepares to update plans for managing land around dams it controls in Hopkinton, Franklin and Webster.

The three open house sessions, set for Aug. 25-27, will be unstructured gatherings with no formal presentation. People can come in at any time to ask questions or submit comments.

“If somebody has an idea about how this area should be used, they can submit it in a comment, it will be reviewed and might be used,” said Troy Darr, spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ New England District.

The sessions will not be concerned with the operation of the dams themselves or their flood-control measures but will focus on changes in land use, outdoor recreation and Corps of Engineers management policy. These are part of regular updates to the master plans, which happen at least every 25 years.

“Key topics to be discussed in the revised Master Plan include revised land-use classifications, new natural and recreational resource management objectives, recreation facility needs and special issues, such as invasive species management and threatened and endangered species habitat,” the Corps wrote in public statements.

The schedule is as follows:

• Hopkinton-Everett Lakes Dam: Aug. 25, 5 to 7 p.m., at the Hopkinton Town Library, 61 Houston Drive.
• Franklin Falls Dam: Aug. 26, 4 to 6 p.m., at the Franklin Elks Club, 125 S. Main St.
• Blackwater Dam: Aug. 27, 4 to 6 p.m., at the Webster Town Hall, 945 Battle St.

Comments must be submitted between Aug. 27 and Sept. 27, either in writing at the open house or digitally via the comment form on the master plans webpage, at nae.usace.army.mil/missions/recreation/blackwater-dam/blackwater-dam-master-plan/.

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