Design, Implementation, and Monitoring of Dam Removal and Pond Decommissioning in Vermont: Updates on Various Case Studies from Vermont
Jordan Duffy, PE, CPESC, CFM
Fitzgerald Environmental Associates
Colchester, Vermont
Authors: Jordan Duffy, PE, CPESC, Evan Fitzgerald, CPESC, CFM, and Rodrigue Spinette, PhD, EIT
Dozens of dam removal projects are currently being designed and implemented across the small state of Vermont, where hundreds of dams no longer serve their original purpose. Conservation organizations, land trusts, and state and federal partners are increasingly securing and investing resources into small dam removal and pond decommissioning projects on headwaters streams to restore floodplain and longitudinal connectivity. Small dam removal projects are desirable in watershed restoration efforts because they are cost-effective, tend to have fewer historical and cultural concerns than larger dam removal projects, and result in measurable ecological lift in the headwaters.
At the 2023 conference, we presented three case studies of pond decommissioning and dam removal across Vermont, including a novel Stage 0 approach on a 3% gradient. We will revisit these sites to share lessons learned from the post-construction and monitoring phases. In addition, we will give an overview of four dam removals currently in the design phase in the Brewster River watershed, a headwaters stream with historically fragmented aquatic habitat. This watershed approach to barrier removal is supported by federal and state funding and multiple partners including government agencies, conservation organizations, and a private ski resort which owns three of the four dams.
About Jordan Duffy, PE, CPESC, CFM
Jordan Duffy, PE, CPESC, is a Water Resources Engineer at Fitzgerald Environmental Associates in Colchester, VT. His work focuses on hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and analysis, stream and floodplain restoration, and operational stormwater design. Recently, Jordan and his team have been focusing on small-scale dam removal in Vermont, as well as flood recovery efforts following 2023 flood damages across Vermont, including bank stabilization, bridge and culvert design, and floodplain reconnection projects.