TURNERS FALLS — FirstLight Hydro Generating Co. is notifying the public that there will be increased activity in the area of the Turners Falls Dam as work on the bascule gate piston replacement project continues.
FirstLight Director of Corporate Communications Claire Belanger announced on Tuesday that FirstLight is continuing to replace pistons within the bascule gate system. As this work progresses, crews will be working on the dam, conducting maintenance and inspection activities. Scaffolding will be going up across the dam as part of this project.
“FirstLight continues to work in close communication with [the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection] to advance this project with the shared goal of improved performance of the Turners Falls Dam Bascule Gate System,” Belanger’s statement reads.
Belanger clarified that this work will not require a drawdown of the power canal outside of the annual drawdown in September. Work on the dam is expected to continue into the fall.
The repair project began after 445 gallons of hydraulic oil spilled into the Connecticut River last June. The oil spill only impacted Bascule Gate 2, with gates 1, 3 and 4 operating as intended. According to FirstLight, employees observed a sudden loss of hydraulic pressure in the dam’s bascule gate system and, responding to the dam, observed an oil sheen below it. Last July, an emergency drawdown of the power canal was carried out to enable necessary dam repairs.