CANTON – Air temperature hovering around 50 degrees Saturday did not deter 15 or so hardy citizens and a dog from finishing the temporary dam at the Whitney Brook outlet on Lake Anasagunticook.

Some men were clad in waders but most were in swim suits as they piled rocks in the water to hold down plastic sheeting they had placed on the upstream side of the dam.

At least two ladies joined the work force by gathering rocks which were piled into Hartford resident Dave Bowen’s bucket loader. The plastic was the final addition to the work that began last Saturday.

Dam Core Committee Chairman Malcolm Ray was thankful for the outpouring of volunteers. The dam was built in two Saturdays.

Ray had special thanks for the donation of steel to hold the logs in place which was donated by Paul Moisan of WahlcoMetroflex in Lewiston. Ray said there were many other local folks who donated materials and labor.

The temporary dam controls the flow of water out of the lake, so the summer level should return to 4 or 5 feet.

When the gates of the old dam were opened as required by the state in 2007, the water level dropped by 6 feet.

This stranded many docks out of the water at lakeside homes.

Since the work on the temporary dam last week, the water level had risen about a foot and a half, Ray said.