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On July 8, FirstLight safely and successfully completed repairs to the Turners Falls Dam Bascule Gate #2 and began refilling the Turners Falls Impoundment by early evening. After drawing down the impoundment in the early hours of July 8 and reaching river levels necessary for the FirstLight team to safely access the gate, personnel entered…
Read moreRepairs to FirstLight’s Turners Falls Dam Bascule Gate #2 will commence early next week, requiring a drawdown of the Turners Falls Impoundment that is likely to beach boats and docks along the river. FirstLight is making every effort to maintain water levels through this weekend to allow boat and dock owners to remove or adjust…
Read moreIn order to safely make repairs to the Bascule Gate that experienced a loss of hydraulic pressure on June 3, FirstLight will have to temporarily lower the river level in the Turners Falls Impoundment (the river upstream of the dam) to stop the flow of water over the gate and allow it to be accessed…
Read moreNorthfield, MA – June 4, 2025 – On the evening of Tuesday, June 3rd, FirstLight team members observed a sudden loss of hydraulic pressure in the Turners Falls Dam Bascule Gate system. FirstLight personnel responded immediately and observed an oil sheen below the dam and swiftly began emergency response actions. FirstLight notified the Massachusetts Department of…
Read moreIn late August, FirstLight began a planned maintenance project on the Turners Falls Power Canal Left Dike to install a seepage management system to address Federal Energy Regulatory Commission dam safety requirements. In recent days, FirstLight’s project team and expert consultants identified the need to drawdown the Power Canal to safely perform the excavations necessary…
Read moreBeginning Wednesday, August 21st, a portion of the Canalside Rail Trail Bike Path from the 11th Street Bridge to Depot Street will be closed to allow FirstLight to complete a maintenance project on the Turners Falls Power Canal Left Dike. The closure is expected to continue through late October. To support public awareness of the…
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