HARDWICK – A summer study committee submitted its Dam Emergency Operations Planning Report to the Vermont General Assembly on August 18, 2025. The committee identified gaps in the emergency operations planning (EOP) process for dams and recommended creation of a pilot project for one or two state-owned dams in order[Read More…]
Flood Recovery Information
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…]
Hazard Mitigation Committee discusses meadows, April 16
PLAINFIELD – The Hazard Mitigation Committee will present GIS mapper and former wetland analysis intern Cil Relland and hydrologist Ethan Ely at the Plainfield Town Hall on Thursday, April 16, at 7 p.m., for a discussion on meadows and open land. These open lands create habitats for mammals from voles[Read More…]
Lovely Road clearing phase 1 of bridge replacement
CABOT – Two weeks ago Fenoff and Son Excavating out of Danville cut all the trees on the Lovely Road job site in phase 1 of a FEMA project to replace the bridge, said town Road Foreman Sid Griggs. “The bridge replacement is NOT starting now. . . Fenoff has[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…]
Bridge 31 replacement leads survey responses
HARDWICK – Since flooding in July 2023 damaged the East Main Street Bridge in Greensboro Bend, travelers between Hardwick, Walden, Stannard, Greensboro and Greensboro Bend have had to use the Bend Road Bridge instead. The East Main Street Bridge is located in East Hardwick and known as Bridge 31. That[Read More…]
Public comment invited on wetland map updates
MONTPELIER – The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) invited the public to comment on draft updates to the state wetland maps in 150 towns, covering over 45% of Vermont in a notice published March 17. The updated maps show the approximate location and shape of wetlands across major parts[Read More…]
Committee hears from residents, Feb. 19
PLAINFIELD — The town has the resources to study the Great Brook with SLR Consulting who will be at the Plainfield Hazard Mitigation Committee meeting Thursday, Feb. 19, 7 p.m., in the Plainfield Town Hall Opera House. Questions SLR can help to answer for the town and committee are: Can a flash-flooding brook and a[Read More…]
Welch discusses FEMA reform
PLAINFIELD – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, joined community leaders and residents in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 22, to discuss ongoing flood recovery efforts and his work to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Senator Welch[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…]
Gulf Road Bridge replacement project
WOLCOTT – In November of 2023, the Lamoille County Planning Commission (LCPC), in partnership with the Town of Wolcott, received a $46,499.81 grant award from the Lamoille Basin Clean Water Service Provider for preliminary design of the Gulf Road Bridge Replacement and Floodplain Restoration Project in Wolcott. The Gulf Road[Read More…]
What the flood buyout program really does
HARDWICK – In recent months, many residents have asked how Hardwick’s flood buyout program works and what it means for the town’s finances and long-term flood resilience. As the community continues recovering from repeated disasters, it is important to clear up several common misconceptions and explain why this program remains[Read More…]
