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VDC asks Scott admin: Dam removal program contributing to statewide flooding?
By Guy Page
Extreme rainfall in areas of Caledonia and Essex counties this morning has created dangerous situations with floodwaters and washed-out roads, Mark Bosma of Vermont Emergency Management reported today. Flash Flood Warnings continue in areas of those two counties until later this morning and afternoon.
Avoid areas of flooding; if floodwaters approach your location, leave immediately over high ground. Respect all road detours and never walk or drive through floodwaters.
Ten swiftwater rescue teams were dispatched to the area overnight and have conducted approximately two dozen rescues from flooded areas. Those teams are still in the area to respond to potential additional calls for assistance, Bosma said.
The Passumpsic River also experienced severe flooding and road washouts during flooding last month. Last night’s flooding was at least the third major flood in Vermont in 2024, even as many communities and property owners are still trying to cope with the devastation of the July 2023 flood.
At noon Wednesday Gov. Phil Scott will hold a flood response and recovery media briefing. VDC has already notified Scott’s press secretary that Vermonters are wondering if a well-intended dam removal program sponsored by the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) is contributing to statewide flooding.
The VNRC – one of the state’s well-established environmental groups – is a member of FreeVTRivers, an organization committed to “facilitate dam removals across the state,” according to the VNRC website. The site states:
“Vermont has more than 800 known dams, and we estimate that hundreds of them may serve no useful purpose. Instead, they degrade water quality and aquatic habitat, restrict the movement of fish and other wildlife, drive up costs in maintenance and liability, and pose significant risks to public safety.
“Since 1996, upwards of 30 unused dams have been removed from Vermont’s rivers and streams to improve public safety and benefit the environment. Many of these dams were privately owned.
“VNRC is a founding member of FreeVTRivers, a group of river and fish biologists, anglers, community members, freshwater advocates and conservation organizations who would like to see our rivers restored and reconnected to support thriving fish populations, improved recreational access, and a river’s natural capacity to handle flooding. To get there, we facilitate dam removals across the state.”
The website notes that these unused dams promote local flooding, spreading water out of the river into surrounding lowlands. “They result in exorbitant flood recovery costs and higher liability insurance premiums for owners,” the VRNC says (see graphic).
That statement addresses local flooding caused by dams. Beaver dams have the same effect, as the Town of Middlesex reported the day after the flooding last month.
But floodwater uninhibited by a local dam will surge downstream. Finding ways to slow down severe downstream flooding by directing floodwaters into adjacent lowlands is among the Scott administration’s proposed future flood reduction strategies.
Meanwhile, Vermont Emergency Management offers these flood information resources.
Road closures: Visit https://newengland511.org/ for state road closures
Local road closures are not reported to the state; please respect all local detours
Register for Vermont Alert: www.vtalert.gov
Flood safety and preparedness (multi-language):
Vermont Emergency Management Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vermontemergencymanagement
NWS Burlington social media: https://www.facebook.com/NWSBurlington or https://twitter.com/NWSBurlington
Some content for this news story was republished verbatim from a Vermont Emergency Management office press statement.
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Categories: Environment
now that you have been hit with a major education tax increase, you will find out your town taxes will be going up to repair all of this damage//// weather warfare will force towns to borrow more money and you get to pay for it with higher taxes////
all of that flood plain land will restrict building and cause more homes not to be built/// vermont will become a national park/// this is a bombing operation using weather warfare///
Is it a coincidence there are a lot of conservatives and likely many “climate denyers” in NEK? They’ll keep seeding till you take the knee. Don’t give up.
Best part of the state.
Honestly, dams that are actively used for flood control/management aren’t at issue here. It’s the old, unused, inactive, failing dams that need to go. They do nothing helpful on the land. The sediment building up behind many of these old structures simply add pressure on the dam and reduce the amount of water that is held back anyway. Helping streams and rivers flood *where and when it is safe to do so* is the better option in the long run.
Rivers are not ditches, nor are they culverts – they are connected to our groundwater from the sides and from below their beds; entire microscopic ecosystems thrive in the porewater beneath the beds of our rivers, in the hyporheic zone. So much biology happens down there, out of sight and out of mind. When we dredge or move a river, it kills off that ecosystem and can take years to fully return.
Where natural floodplains can be allowed to actually flood, it helps water to slow down, spread out, and soak in over time. I’d rather see that happen in a floodplain than in our town centers and our neighborhoods.
eight inches of rain in st. johnsbury///// weather warfare//// now what other town in vermont will get destroyed//// more bonding in the towns///// any questions////
Pigeon Forge, TN flooded this week. Northern California Park wildfire over 386,000 acres happening now. FEMA has many disasters to attend to currently. I wonder how the previous, numerous disasters over the past year, the past few months are resolving on the Federal and State levels? You think levying more taxes and surcharges will address the damages done? I hear insurance companies will not underwrite any “green new deal” businesses or infrastructure builds due to massive exposure to liability – aka class action lawsuits – Gee, I wonder why? Yet another “safe and effective” lie being exposed as harmful and fraudulent?