Busting Dams on Vermont’s White River
A watershed approach to river restoration is reconnecting habitat throughout the White River Basin for the benefit of people and nature!
The following is a guest blog from our partners in river restoration at the White River Partnership. The White River is significant for being one of the last free-flowing rivers in the State of Vermont and is the longest un-dammed tributary to the Connecticut River.
In August 2019, trout navigated upstream through the White River’s “First Branch Falls” in Royalton, Vermont, for the first time in 250 years.
Since 1776, the Lower Eaton Dam sat atop the Falls, built to provide power to Royalton’s first industrial site. Inactive since the late 1960s, the dam was in disrepair–threatening the safety of local residents recreating in the deep pool below the Falls and the mill pond upstream–and a total barrier to fish passage.
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During the summer of 2019, the local watershed group, White River Partnership (WRP), led a collaborative effort to remove both the Lower Eaton Dam and a second dam owned by the same couple. Located 350 feet upstream of the lower dam, the Upper Eaton Dam had been inactive since 1927.
Lower Eaton Dam Removal.
Ultimately, the pair of dam removals reconnected 30 miles of cold-water habitat for the benefit of wild brook, rainbow, and brown trout as well as American eel and sea lamprey populations.
The WRP has partnered with a diverse group of local, state, and federal partners–including American Rivers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and many others–to remove four dams since 2016. Only four intact dams remain on major branches of the White River, which is the longest undammed tributary to the Connecticut River.
Coming Soon… In 2018, the WRP worked with partners to remove the Killooleet Dam remnants on the Hancock Branch of the White River. Currently, WRP is working with a local engineer to design dam removal projects for three additional dams: one on the Second Branch and two on the First Branch of the White River. In sum these projects will restore 180 miles of the White River to free-flowing conditions!
The White River Partnership’s work exemplifies the benefits of working on river restoration on a watershed scale. These removals, and 88 others from 2019, are highlighted in our new dam removal map and database release. Check it out here.
Mary Russ is the Executive Director of the White River Partnership (WRP). The WRP envisions a White River watershed in which individuals and communities work together to make informed decisions that protect and improve water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, flood resilience, and recreational river access.
6 responses to “Busting Dams on Vermont’s White River”
There is a crib dam on the Mad River in Warren Village Vermont that is in a state of disrepair it a major impediment to fish movement to and from the river’s headwaters, in addition to this immediately above the dam is a wide, long gravel bed which exposes the shallow expanse of water to full sun thus raising temperatures down river.
I and many other people including the Mad Dog chapter of Vermont Trout Unlimited and most importantly state officials want to see it removed.
Seemingly the only barrier to removal is an entrenched opposition in the form of a coalition of dam owners in the community. This group cites reasons of flood prevention, (studies have proved the dam does not perform this function) and historic preservation as reason to keep and repair the dam. The state of Vermont has expressed that it will not issue permits to do anything but removal.
The only solution to this stalemate would to have a rational discussion with the owners to gently persuade them of the benefits of removal. I believe this can be done if the right people were involved and a steady, focused energy were directed towards the issue.
Every season more chunks of wood and logs get dislodged and washed down river further increasing the hazard to children and adults recreating around the structure. If the dam gets completely blown out in a catastrophic flood the costs associated with clean up and addressing personal property damage would ostensibly carry a higher price tag than removal.
Hello,
I am looking for Locations of dams removed off the White River in Vermont. Over last 5 years. Also looking for near West Hartford Vermont ( Hollow River ) please help
Thank you
Contact and Support- American Whitewater!
The Ammonoosuc needs its dams removed!
We need help up in the White Mountains to remove several defunct dams! Who can we contact?
Tremendous work with prolific results.