Why was sand being dredged from Hopedale Pond down by the bath house the week of September 13th?
The activity that many people gathered to watch during this time was NOT a dredging operation, but rather a hydro-raking project commissioned by the Park Department, and performed by Aquatic Control Technology of Sutton, MA. A sand bar delta had accumulated and grown significantly over the past 15+ yrs from collective storm drain discharge off of Northrup/Park/Dutcher/Oak/Williams Streets & Tammie Rd. Aside from the aesthetic and safety impacts, the presence of this sand bar above or near the water surface no longer allowed for rapid settling of nutrient-laden sediments and other potential pollutants, but rather forced the discharged water/sediment to fan-out across the Town Beach and adjacent area – extending nearly half-way across the pond! By doing so, this dispersed these materials throughout the lower pond where the nutrients become more available for nuisance algae and aquatic weed growth. Sand was removed with a floating hydro-rake machine, deposited on the old Town Beach area t
