SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

WRENTHAM - State Rep. Richard Ross said Wednesday that funds to repair Eagle Dam in Wrentham are included in an environmental bond bill awaiting approval of Gov. Deval Patrick.

The bill secures not less than $250,000 for the repair of the dam.

The dam site was first granted in 1668 to Robert Crossman and shortly thereafter to John Whiting, whose family operated a mill there until the mid-19th Century.

Their charge was to grind corn for the inhabitants of the Town of Wrentham. The recent bond bill was created to specifically address such issues as deteriorating dams throughout the Commonwealth and the potential issues they create, said Ross, R-Wrentham.

"This money should help the town begin the process of restoring the Eagle Dam and the once beautiful Mill Pond between it and Lake Pearl," Ross said.

"I am pleased to have been able to secure this inclusion so that future generations can enjoy the benefit that this dam creates, he said."

A few years back, another dam on Lake Pearl, Red Dam, was rebuilt with state money.