It’s been seven months since plans to remove the dam at Hathaway Pond were dropped, and Rochester residents say all is back to normal.

This is a far cry from last fall when the Buzzards Bay Coalition, which owns the 10-acre parcel, decided to remove the dam to protect and open the land for public use.

The Coalition purchased the land in March 2011. At the time, representatives from the Coalition said that by removing the 200-year-old dam, it would help restore fish passage and the overall health of the Sippican River.

When the Coalition carried out its plans, residents of the over-55 housing community adjacent to the pond were outraged.

Woody Hartley led the charge against removing the dam with a petition, which garnered more than 500 signatures from the local community.

Since the Coalition abandoned its plans in December, Hartley said there have been no further conflicts with the organization.

“Everything is back to the way it was before this whole thing started,” Hartley said.

The only problem with the pond lies with the water levels, which Hartley said continue to remain low due to a lack of rain.

The dam, however, is working just as it ought to, he said.

Beaton’s Inc. holds the deeded property rights to maintain the dam, which it uses as a water source for 55 acres of cranberry bogs in Rochester.

Doug Beaton, owner of the East Sandwich-based cranberry growing company, agreed with Hartley.

Beaton said the dam has been adjusted to regulate the flow of water in the pond. The dam is also scheduled to undergo repairs.

“It needs some repair, but it’s holding water very well right now,” Beaton said. “It’s not an immediate issue.”

Last December, representatives from Beaton’s and the Coalition reached an agreement to preserve the dam and the surrounding areas.

Besides restoring the dam, the Coalition will sell the parcel containing the dam to Beaton’s and ensure that a permanent conservation restriction be put on the land.

Also under the agreement, the two parties have designed a fish ladder to be installed within the main sluiceway of the dam improving the migration conditions for river herring.

Beaton said the ladder should be ready to be installed within the year.

The Coalition and Beaton’s are also collaborating on constructing a new water supply reservoir system on Beaton’s property.

This is to provide a sustainable and permanent water source for the bogs.

The new reservoir system is expected to take 10 years to complete construction.

Under the agreement, the Coalition has the option to reacquire the dam from Beaton’s and continue with plans to remove the dam once the system is completed.