From the 1940s through the 1980s, Mount
Holyoke College drastically altered the way
in which it used its water resources. Because
of both environmental and social reasons,
the college was forced both to engage in
major projects relating to the lakes, including
improving the dam on Upper Lake and dredging
both ponds twice, and to restrict access
to the lakes.
The
spring of 1940 saw Upper Lake dam overflowing.
The college worked the following summer to
improve the dam's capacity. Click here to
read more about dam construction.
Upper and Lower Lakes both have a long history
of human involvement. After the water chesnut,
an invasive species, was found in both, the
college had to take major action. Click here
to read more about the college's response
to the water chesnut and the dredging of
Upper and Lower Lakes.
All of these changes were bound to have
a social impact. The lakes, especially Upper
Lake, had been viewed by the greater South
Hadley community as a local resource. This
changed as the college deemed it necessary
to restrict access to the lakes. Click here
to read more about the social impacts.
