For the first time in 219 years, Tributary 10 is flowing freely into Otter Creek. Contractors completed construction on the Wainwright Dam removal on Oct. 9, which reconnected the tributary with the Otter Creek watershed. Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) staff and Trout Unlimited, alongside several volunteers, finished the restoration work on Oct. 10.
Figure 1. Wainwright Dam
The Wainwright Dam was located just above Tributary 10’s confluence with Halnon Brook and downstream from the Salisbury Fish Hatchery right off the busy thoroughfare of Route 7, running parallel to Lake Dunmore road. Originally constructed as a sawmill in 1805 and later used as an ice pond, the dam is responsible for centuries of river fragmentation
Figure 2. A river restored – Tributary 10
Following the removal of the concrete dam structure, VNRC & contractors built eight habitat features (beaver dam analogs and post-assisted log jams) along the restored floodplain. They then planted native trees and shrubs transplanted from the adjacent riparian habitat and spread a local wetland seed mix. Tree planting is planned for next year and will be coordinated by Trout Unlimited.
“When we reconnect a river then the river can begin to heal itself, we are proud that this project has restored passage for native brook trout and other wildlife, restored natural sediment and nutrient transport, reduced flood elevations in the project vicinity and vegetated the natural floodplain” says Karina Dailey, project manager with VNRC.
Figure 3. Wainwright Dam Removal Community.
VNRC is grateful to the landowner and the local Salisbury community for their support and patience during this project. And they are thankful for the excellent work of their project partners: SLR Consulting, Markowski Excavating, and the Vermont Council of Trout Unlimited.
Funding for design, permitting, and construction for this project was provided by VNRC, Vermont Emergency Management’s Flood Resilience Communities Fund, and NEIWPCC in partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. To learn more about dam removal work in Vermont find more information here: FreeVTRivers.org