The Clary Lake Dam
The dam on Clary lake has been a problem waiting for a solution for over 40 years. In that time it has been privately owned, and it still is. Over the years, conflict with the dam owner over dam and water level maintenance has plagued the Clary Lake shore owners almost continually. The dam is now in serious need of repair and the current owner, Pleasant Pond Mill LLC, is both unwilling and apparently unable to make the necessary repairs. The Association is making every effort to obtain ownership of the dam and see that it is repaired and operated in a consistent and satisfactory manner to everyone.
Built by Henry Clary back around the turn of the last century, the dam is a massive stone and masonry structure sitting solidly on ledge. It is approximately 115' long and 8' tall at it's highest point above the thread of the stream.
Henry Clary also built a mill building which is located just downstream of the dam on the other side of Route 218. The dam on the lake was only used to impound water for use by the mill.
Most stone and masonry dams leak to some extent however the leaking of this dam has gotten bad enough that it is no longer possible to maintain anything like a stable water level in the lake. Even worse than the leaking is the condition of a concrete plug in the center of the dam. Originally there was an adjustable weir gate in the middle of the dam which was used to drain water out of the lake for use by the mill. The weir gate was replaced with a concrete plug sometime around 1960. This concrete plug is now failing and is in danger of washing out completely. In the picture at left, you can see a hole in the lower righthand corner that is so deep you can stick your arm in it up to your shoulder without touching the back. If this plug washes out, the dam will fail.
Our plan once we own the dam is to fix the leaking by forcing concrete into the cracks between the stone blocks (pressure grouting) and replacing the concrete plug with a crest top sluice approximately 6' wide and 2' deep with a provision for stop logs so we can easily adjust the level of the lake. We're hoping to make these repairs next summer.
We have many more pictures of the dam.
