HARDWICK – The Town of Hardwick will host two public information sessions on Wednesday, Dec. 3, to share results from its new Lamoille River and Cooper Brook hydraulic modeling and flood-mitigation alternatives analysis. This project is funded directly by the U.S. Economic Development Administration through the Northern Vermont Economic Development District and carried out by SLR Consulting. It provides Hardwick with its first fully-modern, locally-focused hydraulic model.
Sessions will be held 1 to 2:30 p.m. (in person and Zoom) and 5 to 6:30 p.m. (in person, recorded by HCTV) on the third floor of the Hardwick Memorial Building.
photo courtesy of Kristen Leahy
The updated hydraulic model covers 12 miles of the Lamoille River through Hardwick and 1.5 miles of Cooper Brook, creating a detailed picture of how water moves through the community during various flood events. Engineers evaluated five mitigation alternatives tailored specifically for Hardwick’s geography, infrastructure, and flood-impacted areas.
This work gives Hardwick independent, high-quality scientific data that can be used directly by local officials, businesses, and residents. The modeling provides clear, actionable insight into where water backs up during major storms, how depth and velocity change along key corridors such as Wolcott Street and opportunities to reduce damage to homes, businesses and critical infrastructure.
Data also shows ways to reconnect floodplains, lower flood levels or reduce erosion and how different mitigation strategies perform under multiple storm scenarios.
Similar modeling has guided successful mitigation work in other Vermont communities, informing decisions on road relocations, bridge upgrades, and floodplain restoration.
Presentations at the session will include how hydraulic models work and how this one was built, the five mitigation alternatives tested for Hardwick, modeled changes in depth, velocity, and floodplain function, examples of mitigation strategies that have succeeded elsewhere and how these results can shape Hardwick’s long-term resilience planning.
