Above Volunteer, Brandon Boyd measuring groundwater levels near the EBSCO building in Ipswich. We are partnering with the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration to understand the relationship between groundwater and the river level at the Ipswich Mills Dam. Intern, Amanda Recupero (not shown) discusses managing this project for the season below.
The Ipswich Mills Dam removal feasibility study is an information gathering project guided by a team of consultants. A full feasibility study of the Ipswich Mills Dam began in 2015, and the finalized report was completed in 2019. The study provides guidance for the town of Ipswich to make informed decisions; however it does not include a decision-making component on whether to keep or remove the dam.
This feasibility study generated findings on flooding and hydraulics, ecology, recreation, sediment transport, cultural resources, technical considerations, costs and impacts to buildings and infrastructure; it also highlighted potential next steps. This year, groundwater monitoring wells were installed, these wells can be found around EBSCO grounds.
We are now monitoring the groundwater wells every two weeks to understand the connection between groundwater and the Ipswich River. As an intern for Ipswich River, I will be helping to complete the well monitoring. We use a water level meter and ease the cable into the well. The light and buzzer activate when the probe tip enters water, and we then record the depth measurement from the cable at the top of the well.
Coming into this internship in September, my goal was to gain more field experience and learn about the critical issues impacting the Ipswich River. So far I have been able to do just that. I have been given the opportunity to take part in different types of field work, and working on the well monitoring gives me the ability to help determine the connection between groundwater and the river.