Town of Exeter Confirms Decision to Remove Dam

The approaching spring term brings a promise of bridge jumping with friends, playing on sports teams and bonding within dorms. However, the town of Exeter reports that they plan on removing the Exeter Dam in July, which will make the river so shallow that bridge jumping will be impossible.

The historic landmark, which was erected in 1647, has served as a crucial mechanism for providing the town with water, but has raised concern surrounding issues of flooding and environmental impact.

Exeter River Committee member Lionel Ingram said that the dam was mainly a cause for concern because of the flooding it had caused in the past—including the recent flooding of the Loaf and Ladle Restaurant in town—and could potentially cause again. Research showed that the dam would not meet a 50 year flood requirement and that it was too structurally unstable to survive a storm in fifty years.

“We will continue to make every effort to prevent students and non-students from jumping from the bridge in order to prevent serious injury from occurring.”

Initially, the town believed that the dam’s removal was impossible since it was essential for providing water to the town. However, the state provided Exeter with funding to investigate alternate water sources and found that wells would be just as effective as the dam.

Changes were instigated so that the town’s water supply is mostly from the ground, and the best course of action for dealing with the dam was considered. Ingram said, “The goal was, fundamentally, how can we solve the problem that the state had told us the dam was unsafe?”

The town brought in a consulting team who analyzed a series of solutions and cultivated strong relationships with the Department of Environmental Services and the state. Along with the consulting team, the River Committee created a warrant outlining the benefits of removing the dam. Though the warrant wasn’t supported by any of the selectman, it passed with over 60 percent of the vote among Exeter residents, requiring a decision about the dam.

Of this overwhelming vote, Ingram said, “I think it passed in large measure because people were concerned about flooding. The report’s research was very strong.”

Some Exeter residents complained that removing the Exeter Dam would be removing an important historic device, but Ingram said that this argument carried little weight with most of the town.

Ingram said, “One man stood up at a meeting and said, ‘You’ve been talking about this being a historical device and trying to keep a historical view of this river, but have you thought about what this river was before the white men got it? Whose history are we talking about?’”

Ingram said that the project is expected to go ahead in July and that the river will have returned to its original state by the fall months.

He explained that the only obstacles now are related to permitting and meeting the standards for various state and federal agencies.

The river’s reversion to its natural state will not only better protect the town from flooding, but will have considerable environmental benefits.

Science instructor Townley Chisholm explained that the removal of the dam will “let migratory fish swim upriver and complete their life cycles” and will “restore healthy oxygen levels in the river during the summer time.”

After hearing about the removal of the dam, Exeter alumni reflected on their own memories of bridge jumping. For Erick Friis ’15, bridge jumping was a treasured tradition. “From prep through senior year, bridge jumping and rope swinging were great ways to blow off steam and cool down on hot days,” he said. “The tradition brought friends, teams and sometimes even rivals together for a fun and largely harmless activity.”

However, Campus Safety Director Paul Gravel explained that bridge jumping is prohibited because of the potential injuries it could cause. “Our greatest fear is that someone becomes seriously injured or the jump may cause them to become incapacitated in the water,” he said. “Campus Safety understands that students like to have fun. Jumping from the Hill Bridge may be fun for students, but it is very dangerous. The risk far outweighs the fun; we strongly discourage anyone from jumping off the Hill Bridge at any time.”

Though some students predicted leniency this spring, Gravel explained that Campus Safety’s vigilance will not falter, even as Exonians try to make their last bridge jumping memories.

“It is our responsibility to keep all students, faculty and staff safe. We will continue to make every effort to prevent students and non-students from jumping from the bridge in order to prevent serious injury from occurring,” he said.

Chisholm said that while he understands the attraction of bridge jumping, the school cannot permit bridge jumping because it is unsafe.

“There is no lifeguard, students can land on each other when they jump together, there could be impaling objects in the water and the list of possible tragedies is too long to contemplate, especially when students jump at night,” he said. “I hope students will choose safer ways to have fun together.”

Despite the considerable risk, Brooks Saltonstall ’15 explained that bridge jumping defined his Exeter experience. “After reading ‘A Separate Peace’ my prep year, I was eager to find my own way to push back against the status quo—to rebel in some way and in doing so discover something about myself and grow closer with others,” he said. “Bridge jumping, for me, has never been a rite of passage or a dare or a romantic excursion. It has always been something much simpler: an adventure.”

He continued, saying that Exonians need an element of freedom and adventure in their life and hopes that they find a safe way to channel this need once bridge jumping is impossible. “All I can do is hope that students find another way to get their youthful energy and desire for adventure and risk out in a way that is not completely self destructive,” he said.