Crest Gate taming floodwaters

Crest Gate at Ell Pond, photo courtesy of the city.

By Travis Andersen
Town Correspondent

Officials say Crest Gate, installed last year in Ell Pond, has prevented flooding this spring, protecting the Fellsway, area ball fields, and nearby apartments from costly water damage.

“Flooding is a longstanding problem in Melrose, and one that we must continue to take seriously,” said Mayor Robert Dolan in a statement. “However, I am glad that we were able to significantly improve one of the longstanding problem areas in town.”

The gate - part of a $3.6 million drainage project at the pond - was installed to prevent a repeat of the disastrous Mother’s Day storm of 2006, when the Fellsway was under about 5 feet of water, and residents were evacuated from the Melrose Towers and other apartments.

The city took out a $1 million bond to supplement the federally funded project, a bargain compared to the $2.2 million in damages that Melrose incurred from the storm in 2006.

Ed Kelly, head of the city's emergency management department, said Melrose received about $785,000 in federal reimbursements during the cleanup.

Over 300 residents stayed in a shelter for two weeks after the storm. But, Kelly said, with Crest Gate functioning well, “I don’t think we’ll ever have to do that again.”

Westford-based LM Holdings installed the gate last fall. Bob Beshara, superintendent of the Department of Public Works, said his staff spent last spring figuring out the best way to operate the gate.

It now opens and closes automatically, based on water levels, and it allows the DPW to draw down the pond before a major storm hits.

“It’s working fabulously,” Beshara said.