Photo Courtesy of the City of Greenfield – Photo Caption: Greenfield DPW Primary Certified Operator Todd Little closes the gate valve at the Leyden Glen Reservoir in Leyden, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. (Mark Holley/Greenfield DPW)
By KENNEDY GRIFFIN
(Greenfield, MA) *Update – Current Greenfield water restrictions are still in place. The City is waiting on word from the state about the drought status before making changes to the water restrictions*
The Leyden Glen Reservoir dredging is complete and will begin refilling today. The dredging of the reservoir began in May and was completed Wednesday. Thursday, the gate valve was closed and now the reservoir can refill and be brought online as a water source for the community.
The Leyden Glen Reservoir can hold 44 million gallons of water, providing about one third of the city’s drinking water and fire-protection. It may take two to three months or more to refill depending on precipitation.
The Greenfield Department of Public Works completed the first full dredging of the city-owned reservoir in 34 years. The last time it was dredged was in 1988 and it was partially dredged in the 1990s for dam repairs.
The sonar had estimated there was 50,000 cubic yard of sediment. However, crews removed 10,000 cubic yards of sediment that had accumulated, saving the city $247,850 from the initial project estimate of $532,850. Funding for the project came from Greenfield’s Water Enterprise Fund and the bid was awarded to Maverick Construction Management Services.
“Now that we’ve removed organics that accumulate over time and reduce water capacity and require more treatment, the reservoir should be good to go for another 20 to 25 years,” said DPW Director Marlo Warner. “With the continuing drought, it has been a difficult time to have the reservoir offline. I want to thank everyone who has been conserving water. It has truly made a difference.”