SPRINGFIELD — Pat Carney has seen eagles, kingfishers, great blue herons and even a box turtle or two while kayaking on Watershops Pond and Lake Massasoit, but in the past few years, it’s not been as easy to navigate.
The problem: The $2.6 million project to repair the dam that was heavily damaged by the 2011 tornado meant the pond, which goes by both names, had to be drawn down, and that allowed brush and other vegetation to grow up in the water, especially near the shore.
