SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Six cars and a gun were found in Watershops Pond in Springfield after the city drained the pond on Friday to protect inner-city neighborhoods from future flooding.
Springfield Police spokesman Ryan Walsh told 22News, the cars were towed out and Springfield Auto Theft Detectives will cross check them for stolen car reports.
Walsh also said the city did a sonar study awhile ago so they knew there were several cars in the pond.
Congressman Richard Neal and Mayor Domenic Sarno committed $2.5 million in federal funds to make certain the Watershop Pond dam remains safe for the foreseeable future and beyond.
According to Mayor Sarno, the drawdown is necessary to complete the much-needed resiliency improvement work for the Watershops Dam.
“Since enduring two federally declared disasters in 2011, the city has initiated several programs related to community resiliency and disaster preparedness. This project meets two goals set by my administration: Removing the Watershops Dam from the state’s High Hazard category and implementing green energy-efficient measures by installing solar panels at the Brookings School. In the future, this school can be used as an emergency shelter due to the electricity produced by solar panels. Successful implementation of the proposed repairs will bring Springfield significantly closer to creating a more resilient community prepared to face the challenges of climate change,” Sarno said.
The schedule for drawdown is as follows:
| Target Date to Commence Drawdown: | October 26, 2020 |
| Target Date to Attain Full Drawdown: | November 7, 2020 |
| Normal Water Surface Elevation of Watershops Pond: | 154.3± feet above sea level (NAVD88) |
| Normal Area of Watershops Pond: | 192.6± acres |
| Water Surface Elevation of Residual Pool during Drawdown: | 140.5± feet above sea level (NAVD88) |
| Area of Residual Pool during Drawdown: | 20± acres |
| Deepest Point Within Watershops Pond: | 135.8± feet above sea level (NAVD88) |
| Target Date to Commence Refilling of Watershops Pond: | April 1, 2022 |
| Target Date to Complete Refilling of Watershops Pond: | April 22, 2022 |
