It’s about dam time!
Removal of the derelict Wainwright Mill Dam (also known as Halnon Pond Dam) on Tributary 10 in Salisbury, VT (south side of Lake Dunmore Road) will begin next week. The dam is in poor condition and no longer functional for its original purposes of powering a sawmill (constructed in 1805) and later as an ice pond. The concrete structure is approximately 56 feet long, 7 feet tall, and 2 feet wide.
The project work includes construction of site access and staging, implementation of flow bypass and erosion control measures, removal of the concrete dam, removal of impounded sediment behind the dam, restoration of the stream channel and floodplain, and habitat features (wood additions) throughout approximately 770 linear ft of stream channel, and over 1.6 acres of floodplain. Following restoration work within, application of native seed and re-vegetation for erosion control and stability of soils over the long term is planned.
The project is designed to reconnect the headwaters of Tributary #10 with the Otter Creek and ultimately Lake Champlain. The goals of the dam removal are threefold –
1) to restore aquatic organism passage at the dam location and through adjacent stream reaches for native brook trout and other cold-water stream species
2) to restore natural stream process and function including sediment transport for overall improved water quality
3) reduce water surface elevations in the project vicinity during storm events by reconnecting the river to its floodplain and restoring the wetland features allowing these areas to attenuate water during flood events.
“This tributary has failed water quality standards for many years, and the dam is contributing to this problem. We are very excited to reconnect this stream and restore natural function” says Karina Dailey, project manager with VNRC.
SLR Quote XXX”We are proud to be part of this restoration project and look forward to the tributary naturalizing once the barrier and unnatural sediment deposits have been replaced with a free-flowing river, wood, and vegetation “ says Jessica Louisos, PE, project engineer with SLR Consulting.
The Vermont Natural Resource Council (VNRC) is managing the project in collaboration with the landowner and numerous partners including Vermont Emergency Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service,
The engineering firm responsible for the design is SLR Consulting of Waterbury, and the construction firm completing the removal is Markowski Excavating of Florence, VT.
Funding for design, permitting, and construction has been provided by Vermont Natural Resources Council, Vermont Emergency Management through the Flood Resilience Community Fund, NEIWPCC in partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program and US Fish and Wildlife Service.Should you have any questions, concerns or comments, please contact Karina Dailey, Restoration Ecologist at VNRC (kdailey@vnrc.org).
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