Drained Smithville Reservoir

I've been taking a morning walk with my friends John and Angelika Weber and their son Parker by the Smithville Reservoir for over 10 years. We've seen it flood and we've seen it drained. These photos were taken in September of 2006. I'm not sure why they drained it, but I'll guess the fish and otters were not happy about it.

The flood control dams were constructed in the 1960s as a response to occurrences of repetitive flooding. The worst flooding occurred in 1936 and the hurricane of 1938. Dam Site 35 is 30 feet high and 1,209 feet long. Smithville Reservoir (Dam Site 35) holds 1,787 acre-feet of water.

The Souhegan River's headwaters are located in New Ipswich, the flood control dams hold back the water during heavy rains, They are earthern structures that slow the release of the water but don't stop it completely. New Ipswich has 4 of the 12 sites on the Souhegan River.

John and Butch check out the Smithville Reservor as Bud the dog looks on

September 2006
Stumps remain, preserved under the water









Location: Binney Hill Rd, New Ipswich, NH 03071, USA

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