Some Natick residents are upset an iconic dam has been removed: "Now it's just bland"

An iconic piece of Natick is gone, and left in its place is a muddy view with murky reactions. The town's picturesque south dam on the Charles River has been removed after being deemed a high hazard dam by the Massachusetts Office of Dam Safety.

"We've been hearing about it and following it online. We were just curious what it looked like," says Mary Dewar who came by to look at it. "It's nice and green, but a little underwhelming."

"Nothing beats the sound of roaring water, and waterfalls are always much more attractive than a flat stream," said Natick resident Paul Varadian. "It looks just like the rest of the river all the way down, so whatever excitement there was in the roaring water after heavy rains is gone."

The South Natick dam has been a landmark for the town. It's been captured in countless pictures and recreated in art.

"We have sold, I don't know, probably over a dozen paintings of it," said art gallery owner Sturdy Waterman.

Page-Waterman Gallery and Framing is near the banks of the Charles River. He says when residents caught word that the town was going to remove the dam, artists came rushing over for a final painting.

"They have their easel set up, and she is looking back and forth and then she painted. Then a few minutes later she looked up, and it had actually stopped coming over, they had started work," Waterman said of one artist who was painting the dam. "She was shocked."

The town removed the dam after years of deliberation. The Massachusetts Office of Dam Safety said inspections showed structural erosion and deterioration.

"The whole thing is completely ridiculous," said Natick resident Rich Mitchell, adding that he believes the town lost a landmark. "It looks like this upstream."

"It was an iconic spot, everyone loved it, and now it's just bland," said Varadian.

The town explored alternatives but ultimately made the decision to recommend its removal in 2022.

"I don't know if the dam actually needed repair, to be honest with you. It seemed quite functional the way it was," said Varadian.

"In general, I think removing dams is a good idea," countered Dewar.

"I feel it's best for the river to have the spillway gone. My hope is in time everything will look better," said Waterman.

The water level is expected to drop to 2 to 4 feet, which will show once-flooded banks. This has left a muddy view on either side.

"Even some of the neighbors have been like 'it's water over the dam. Let's just move on,'" said Waterman.