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And the story it told of a river that flowed made me sad to think it was dead
By adamg on Sun, 09/16/2007 - 1:19pm
Above: What used to be the Mother Brook, from the Hyde Park Avenue bridge.
Anybody know why the Mother Brook in Hyde Park is being diverted into three pipes from the Shaw's to the Neponset River? General de-mucking and wall repair, or are they looking for something (Jimmy Hoffa's body)?
Bonus fun fact: The brook is the oldest canal in North America, built in 1639 to power mills in Dedham (although the manmade part only went from the Charles to a point just on the other side of what is now Washington Street, where it connected to a Neponset tributary called East Brook).
Dedham chimes in: Brian on myDedham wonders if Dedham should try to enforce the 170-year-old court decision under which at least up to one-third the Charles is supposed to be diverted into the brook; currently, it's only about a fourth.
Apology: To anybody who remembers when that song managed to top the charts. The river part popped into my head when I saw the brook bottom and now I can't get it out of my head and misery loves company, right?
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Comments
Up to 1/3
Mother Brook is entitled to get up to 1/3 of the Charles' water, not at least 1/3. In either case, its not that big a deal anymore since Mother Brook isn't used to power mills anymore. Also, the amount we get isn't really any set percentage, it is used to control the level of the Charles and prevent it from flooding. If we wanted we could ask for our full 1/3, but theres really not a reason to.
myDedham.org - a community since 1636 and online since 2007!
My Mother Wanted To Strangle the Writer of That Song
We lived in an arid area when that song was popular, and I remember my mother growling every time we heard it (which was a lot, since it was one of maybe, oh, 12 records the local am station had).
Why? Well, it only takes three MINUTES or maybe 15 minutes in the desert sun before you skin turns red - not THREE DAYS!
And that river? That's a dry riverbed, tenderfoot! Best stay out of those because they are about as "dead" as Mt. Saint Helens was "dormant". Anybody who lives in the desert knows about that - or should!