HARDWICK – The value of Jackson Dam, holding back the waters of Hardwick Lake, has been questioned for many years. A 2001 report by the Vermont Natural Resources Council notes, “The Jackson Dam currently has little economic value.”
The dam was then over 100 years old and the report indicates it, “is not unsafe at this time, but . . . will require a major overhaul in the future.”
There is no hydroelectric facility at Jackson Dam. The dam was originally built to store water for the downstream hydroelectric facility at Wolcott. The report notes HED uses the Jackson Dam and Hardwick Lake for storage. If a large rain storm is anticipated, HED can draw down the Lake to supply water to the downstream Wolcott project. This storage benefit of Hardwick Lake is not significant.
On the question of constructing a hydroelectric facility at Jackson Dam, the report says, it “has been considered in the past, but has never been economically feasible. In other words, the expense of building a generating facility is not worth the power and financial benefits that a facility would provide.”
“Dam removal would cost significantly less than dam repair,” notes the report.
photo courtesy Hardwick Historical Society
A 2021 Lamoille River Tactical Basin Plan, prepared by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, identifies stormwater master planning and implementation as a priority.
The 2001 report said, “The dam provides no functional flood prevention potential because the capacity of Hardwick Lake to store floodwaters is relatively small.”
Significant flooding events in July 2023 and 2024 have raised new issues for managing the Lamoille River through Hardwick according to Town Manager David Upson. Cancellation of a recent federal BRIC grant opportunity that would have looked into flood mitigation options on the Lamoille River upstream of the Cottage Street Bridge, further delays attention to the town’s flood planning.
HED’s General Manager Sarah Braese says Commissioner Renaud Demers has been appointed to serve on a group that is expected to explore a feasibility study for Jackson Dam, but that discussion has been postponed.
“Otherwise, the HED Board of Commissioners has requested a comprehensive update on HED’s dam portfolio which is slated to be discussed at their next Regular Meeting scheduled for May 20, said Braese.”
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
