by Kristen Leahy HARDWICK – As conversations about Jackson Dam continue, a few questions tend to come up repeatedly. That is not surprising. When a piece of infrastructure has been part of a landscape for generations, people naturally think about what might change and what might be lost. One of[Read More…]
Kristen Leahy
The sediment story above and below Jackson Dam
HARDWICK – Last week’s discussion looked at what the recent study found at Jackson Dam. This week, it’s worth stepping back and looking more closely at how rivers move sediment and why that matters. When people think about a dam, they usually think about water. But an important part of[Read More…]
Jackson Dam Study reveals river system complexity
HARDWICK – One detail in the Jackson Dam study stayed with me after I read it. When the SLR engineers began trying to measure how much sediment had accumulated behind the dam, they pushed a fourteen-foot probe rod straight down into the lakebed. In several locations they still did not[Read More…]
Community clean-up removes 175 tires from Cooper Brook
HARDWICK – A student-led cleanup effort to improve water quality along Cooper Brook resulted in the removal of 175 tires and additional debris, May 1. Many of the tires had been carried downstream during the July 2024 flooding and collected along the stretch of Cooper Brook near Atkins Field. The[Read More…]
Waiting has a cost
HARDWICK – In a small town like Hardwick, it’s easy to put off big decisions. Projects are expensive. The timing never feels quite right. When something is still working, at least most of the time, it can be hard to justify making a change. Concern about the cost of projects[Read More…]
From the Watershed: Beavers cause problems; they also solve them
Hardwick doesn’t have the luxury of abstract conversations about water. We’ve watched it come through our commercial core, into our homes, and across our roads, more than once, and more recently than anyone would like. We’re investing real money and real time trying to reduce that risk. That forces us[Read More…]
Jackson Dam study examines river, sediment conditions
HARDWICK – A recently completed technical study of Hardwick’s Jackson Dam examines how Jackson Dam interacts with the Lamoille River and how more than a century of sediment accumulation has shaped the river system around it. The dam, located just upstream of the Route 15 bridge, has held back water[Read More…]
It’s time for change and repair
HARDWICK – In a few days, I will be out of the office for a month to have my hip replaced. I’ve been waiting nearly ten years for this. Long enough to adjust my life around pain. Long enough to forget what normal movement feels like. Long enough that even[Read More…]
River corridor mapping to break cycles of repeated damage
HARDWICK, GREENSBORO – Over the past few years, towns in the Lamoille River watershed have spent a great deal of time and money repairing roads, stabilizing riverbanks, replacing culverts and helping residents recover from flood damage. In many cases, those problems were not caused by water sitting in fields or[Read More…]
Planning for emergencies in Hardwick
HARDWICK – Hardwick is in the process of updating its Local Emergency Management Plan, known locally as The Hardwick Plan. It is updated regularly, typically each year, to reflect changing conditions, lessons learned and local capacity. It serves as the town’s working framework for emergencies and outlines how preparation, response,[Read More…]
Bridge 31 options being considered
To the editor: Bridge 31 in East Hardwick was removed in April 2024 after flood damage. Since then, people who relied on the bridge have used an alternate crossing. The Town of Hardwick is evaluating long-term options and has begun targeted written outreach to people who relied on Bridge 31[Read More…]
The quiet work of local review
HARDWICK – In village centers and along familiar roads, development rarely feels abstract. It arrives as a new building near a town green, a change to a well-known corner, or a proposal that raises questions about traffic or neighborhood character. In towns of all sizes, these moments bring a mix[Read More…]
