Cobbs Pond Dam dam
Cobbs Pond Dam
Located in Walpole, Massachusetts, the Cobbs Pond Dam serves as a crucial flood risk reduction structure along Cobbs Brook, which flows into the Neponset River. This masonry dam, with a height of 12 feet and a hydraulic height of 6 feet, plays a significant role in protecting the surrounding area from potential flooding events. The dam's primary purpose is flood risk reduction, but it also offers recreational opportunities for the community.
Managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation in Massachusetts, the Cobbs Pond Dam is state-regulated, inspected, and enforced to ensure its safety and functionality. With a hazard potential rated as high and a fair condition assessment, the dam poses moderate risk, prompting the need for ongoing risk management measures. The dam has a storage capacity of 240 acre-feet and a normal storage of 30 acre-feet, providing essential water resource management within its drainage area of 1.95 square miles.
Despite its essential role in flood risk reduction and water resource management, the Cobbs Pond Dam faces ongoing challenges in maintaining its structural integrity and safety. With a risk assessment rating of moderate, it is crucial for the authorities to continue monitoring and implementing necessary risk management measures to ensure the dam's effectiveness in protecting the local community and environment.
Dam data reference
Condition Assessment
- Satisfactory
- No existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. Acceptable performance is expected under all loading conditions (static, hydrologic, seismic) in accordance with the minimum applicable state or federal regulatory criteria or tolerable risk guidelines.
- Fair
- No existing dam safety deficiencies are recognized for normal operating conditions. Rare or extreme hydrologic and/or seismic events may result in a dam safety deficiency. Risk may be in the range to take further action.
- Poor
- A dam safety deficiency is recognized for normal operating conditions which may realistically occur. Remedial action is necessary. POOR may also be used when uncertainties exist as to critical analysis parameters which identify a potential dam safety deficiency.
- Unsatisfactory
- A dam safety deficiency is recognized that requires immediate or emergency remedial action for problem resolution.
- Not Rated
- The dam has not been inspected, is not under state or federal jurisdiction, or has been inspected but, for whatever reason, has not been rated.
Hazard Potential Classification
- High
- Dams assigned the high hazard potential classification are those where failure or mis-operation will probably cause loss of human life.
- Significant
- Dams assigned the significant hazard potential classification are those dams where failure or mis-operation results in no probable loss of human life but can cause economic loss, environmental damage, disruption of lifeline facilities, or impact other concerns. Significant hazard potential classification dams are often located in predominantly rural or agricultural areas but could be in areas with population and significant infrastructure.
- Low
- Dams assigned the low hazard potential classification are those where failure or mis-operation results in no probable loss of human life and low economic and/or environmental losses. Losses are principally limited to the owner's property.
- Undetermined
- Dams for which a downstream hazard potential has not been designated or is not provided.
Plan around the weather
Same NOAA / yr.no feed Snoflo's iOS app uses. Watch the precipitation column on the meteogram -- rain on the basin upstream typically lifts inflow 24-72 hours later.
Next 5 days, hour by hour
Temperature line with weather symbols on top, snow + rain accumulation as columns, humidity as a dotted line.
5-day forecast table
Every 3 hours, broken out across temperature, snow, rain, humidity, and wind. Each cell is colour-coded relative to the column min/max.
| Time | Condition | Temp (°F) | Snow (in) | Rain (in) | Humidity (%) | Wind (mps) | Wind dir |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading detailed forecast… | |||||||
15-day temperature & precipitation
Daily temperatures, snow, and rain projected over the next two weeks.
Nearby streamflow gauges
USGS streamgauges around Cobbs Pond Dam -- inflows here typically show up in storage 24-72 hours later.
| Streamgauge | Discharge | View |
|---|---|---|
| Neponset River At Norwood | 15 cfs | → |
| East Branch Neponset River At Canton | 19 cfs | → |
| Neponset River At Greenlodge St Near Canton | 76 cfs | → |
| Charles River At Dover | 154 cfs | → |
| Charles River At Medway | 68 cfs | → |
| Mother Brook At Dedham | 48 cfs | → |
Make a day of it
Boat launches, lakeside camping, fishing access, and other reservoirs near Cobbs Pond Dam.
Boat launches
- Beach Street Sharon
- Blue Trail Sherborn
- Bridge Street 1, Dover
- Ames Street Dedham
- Lake Street Sherborn
- Providence Highway 267, Dedham
Track Cobbs Pond Dam in the Snoflo app
Save this dam as a favorite and get the local NOAA / yr.no forecast plus regional flow context wherever you are.
About Cobbs Pond Dam
Where does the data for Cobbs Pond Dam come from?
Structural and regulatory data come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' National Inventory of Dams (NID). Weather forecast comes from NOAA / yr.no -- the same feed Snoflo's iOS app uses.
How often is the report updated?
NID structural data refreshes annually as the Corps publishes updated assessments. The weather forecast refreshes throughout the day.
What does the High hazard rating mean?
The Corps of Engineers' hazard potential classification grades probable consequences if the dam fails: High = probable loss of human life; Significant = no probable loss of human life but possible economic loss / environmental damage; Low = no probable loss of human life, only minor economic / environmental losses. See the Dam Data Reference card above for the full definitions.
What's "% of normal"?
The current storage value compared to the historical average storage on this calendar day. 100% = right on average; values above 100% mean above-normal storage (wet year); values below mean below-normal (dry year or drought).
Can I get alerts when storage crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app. Favorite this dam, set a threshold, and you'll get a push the moment conditions cross.
Other water bodies near here
Snoflo-tracked reservoirs and dams within driving distance of Cobbs Pond Dam.