Middleborough recently agreed to help by lowering a dam at the Wareham Street herring run, four miles downstream of the Assawompset complex. Officials are cautiously monitoring the process, however, to make sure the ecological balance of the Nemasket River, which flows between the Assawompset and the Wareham Street dam, isn’t damaged by that action.
The Assawompset Pond Complex is about four square miles in size, the largest natural lake in Massachusetts. The complex lies predominantly in Lakeville, but parts extend into nearby towns. The pond serves as the water supply for New Bedford and Taunton.
Record-breaking rains swelled water levels to 57 feet above sea level in March 2010, forcing whole neighborhoods to evacuate. Several homes were destroyed, and many have not been rebuilt.
Shore resident Dana Deree, who led an effort to persuade Middleborough officials to lower the Wareham Street dam, said his home was damaged last year, including its heating, septic, and well systems. The repairs took a big chunk from his savings.
“Our street was shut down, and we had to go to a hotel,’’ Deree said. “Later, we rented an apartment while we rebuilt. It took about 2 ½ months for the water to recede.’’
Conditions are worse now than they were in 2010, Deree said. His house had been about 20 feet from the shore before the rains. “About six feet of shoreline were washed away in the flood,’’ he said, and water is already coming dangerously close to his house. “I have a deck that faces the water, and right now the water is 3 feet under it.’’
State Representative Keiko Orrall, a Lakeville Republican elected last month to fill the vacancy left following Stephen Canessa’s resignation, has been inundated with calls from concerned residents. She has scheduled a meeting Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. in the Lakeville Public Library to listen to residents and provide updates on measures being taken. Public works directors from affected communities will give their assessments of the situation.
“DPWs in Taunton, New Bedford, Freetown, Lakeville, and Middleborough are all working together,’’ Orrall said.
