Jackson Dam removal advanced

HARDWICK – Hardwick Electric Department Commissioners and General Manager Scott Johnstone joined the Hardwick Select Board at a special meeting last Thursday where they received the reports of a Jackson Dam Removal Feasibility Study and landscaping plans to reduce runoff and erosion at the Caspian Lake Town Beach.

Following each presentation there was discussion and the select board voted to continue the work, looking more deeply into both issues and identifying funding options for each.

The dam removal study was conducted by SLC consulting and presented by a panel of SLR’s Josephine Alling and Jessica Clark Louisos, who were joined by Emily Finnegan with the Caledonia County Natural Resource Conservation District (CCNRCD).

The presentation covered the history of the 1920 dam, rebuilt in 1952, that impounds the Lamoille River and Alder Brook to create Hardwick Lake, which has filled with a considerable amount of sediment over more than 100 years, giving it a maximum depth is just seven feet, they reported.

A dam inspection in 2001 discovered a horizontal crack in both the upstream and downstream faze, with a concrete cap added during the 1952 repairs now failing. There is surface deterioration and undermining to the foundation in some areas. A 2001 estimate of repair costs in 2001 came to $600,000, which would be much more today, said SLR.

The dam is classified as a Significant Hazard due to the property losses and damage to downstream infrastructure that would result from its failure.

Later Johnstone said concrete dams do not fail catastrophically like earthen dams do, reducing the concern somewhat, but certainly not eliminating it.

SLR shared maps and diagrams of the ecosystem and wildlife, a sediment assessment, then a flood mitigation and ice jam analysis with and without the dam.

The full report is available on the Town of Hardwick website at hardwickvt.gov in the Government section under Flood Resilience Projects.

When HED Commissioner Roger Prevot asked where funding might come from for the dam, the answer was that the cost of not removing the dam is an issue. It’s unlikely there’s any funding to repair it, he was told.

Prevot said we shouldn’t assume the “whatever it takes” cost approach, recognizing “do nothing” is an option.

SLR suggested that’s the main reason to implement a phased approach to the dam’s removal, which will make it possible to evaluate the project step-by-step, adjusting the plan and seeing what’s possible with revegetating the lake bed and deciding what sediment to remove, which they estimate at 63,400 cubic yards in the river channel and 123,000 cubic yards if the adjacent flood plain is included.

Lesa Cathcart asked whether there’s data on the effect of removing the dam available for the water table for those living along Hardwick Lake, as well as wildlife that includes eagles and loons. SLR agreed that level of investigation was not possible in this initial phase of the study. Further work is needed and will look at wells and the water table in the area.

Dave Gross commented on the town plan and its mention of recreational areas and preservation of habitat that Hardwick Lake represents, suggesting that beaver might be attracted to Alder Brook flowing through a drained Hardwick Lake.

Among other comments and answers, attendees learned that limited testing of the sediment has shown it to be clean; the cost of removing the dam could be between $4 and $9 million; developable land is not likely to be created by dam removal; the possibility of retaining Hardwick Lake while removing the dam was not studied, but finding funding to construct a new dam is unlikely and the do nothing approach is not recommended.

A motion approved after the presentation asked SLR to come back with an estimate on funding further study to allow a decision to be made, with possible funding and a hydrology study downstream of the dam to identify possible issues there.

Presentation of a draft concept for work at the Caspian Lake Beach property by Will Marlier, Lake Watershed Program Specialist with the Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation District (OCNRCD) included discussion of the property, owned by the Town of Hardwick, including current and future uses, community expectations and coordination with the Hardwick Electric Department to ensure all operational, maintenance, and infrastructure needs are effectively addressed,” said the agenda.

Marlier reviewed a one-page drawing, identifying recommended additions that include work on the boat launch ramp, adding a concrete trench drain beside a rebuilt concrete ramp; wooden ramps leading to a swim area with a new log and stone divider between the sand and grass areas; possible trees or bushes near the granite blocks above the beach (which drew some concern about sight lines); a filter wall at the back of the parking lot, along the outlet brook, a wider buffer of plantings along the brook from the parking lot to near the dam, and an area with pollinator plantings above the riprap at the dam end of the beach.

If the town decides to proceed, Marlier said he’d expect funding and the final design to be complete for work to begin in the summer of 2027.

A motion authorized further work and community engagement to continue with Marlier returning to the next select board meeting to have a landowner agreement signed. Select Board Chair Ceilidh Galloway-Kane, Shari Cornish and Derek Richardson voted in favor of the motion, with Larry Fliegelman abstaining and Tim Ricciardiello voting against it.