West Britannia (Reed & Barton) Dam - Taunton, MA
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 41° 55.134 W 071° 06.094
19T E 325728 N 4642907
The West Britannia Dam, near the Reed and Barton factory, is a modest earthen dam that once provided power to the factory and is now being evaluated for removal.
Waymark Code: WMEB5H
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 04/30/2012
Views: 2
In Taunton's Britanniaville section is the Reed & Barton factory that straddles the Mill River. North of the factory is a modest dam that once provided water power to the factory.
According to a study, the West Britannia dam is an earthen berm and masonry dam that is 85 ft long. It has a structural height of 8 ft but a hydraulic head of 4 ft. The concrete spillway is about 15-20 ft wide. The report stated that the dam is currently in a state where the water level is drawn down, such that there is little water retained above. The former impoundment was 8.23 acres.
The study (link below), evaluated removing dams along the Mill River to allow certain fish to swim upstream and breed. If the State Hospital Bridge is removed downstream of this dam, removing this dam would allow the fish to swim up to the Whittendon Pond Dam. The Whttendon Pond Dam was in the news around 2005 when it almost breached, creating a threat to buildings and dams below, including this one.
I'm not sure when the dam was originally built. The company was established in 1824, but it was a continuation of a previous business. I'm not sure how long the company has been at this specific site.
Fishing - though it may be allowed along this river, I'm not sure you would want to due to the relatively heavy industrial use along the river.
Source:
Tauntonriver.org (Mill River Dams Feasibility Study-1/31/2008):
(
visit link)