Wainwright Mill Dam removal tobegin this week in Salisbury

Removal of the derelict Wainwright Mill Dam (also known as Halnon Pond Dam) on Tributary #10 in Salisbury (south side of Lake Dunmore Road) will begin this week, according to a news release from the Vermont Natural Resources Council Aug. 12. The dam is in poor condition and no longer functional for its original purposes of powering a sawmill (constructed in 1805) and later as an ice pond.  The concrete structure is approximately 56 feet long, 7 feet tall, and 2 feet wide.

The project work includes construction of site access and staging, implementation of flow bypass and erosion control measures, removal of the concrete dam, removal of impounded sediment behind the dam, restoration of the stream channel and floodplain, and habitat features (wood additions) throughout approximately 770 linear feet of stream channel and over 1.6 acres of floodplain.  

Following restoration work within, application of native seed and re-vegetation for erosion control and stability of soils over the long term is planned.

The project is designed to reconnect the headwaters of Tributary #10 with the Otter Creek and ultimately Lake Champlain.  

The goals of the dam removal are threefold:

1) To restore aquatic organism passage at the dam location and through adjacent stream reaches for native brook trout and other cold-water stream species

2) To restore natural stream process and function including sediment transport for overall improved water quality

3) Reduce water surface elevations in the project vicinity during storm events by reconnecting the river to its floodplain and restoring the wetland features allowing these areas to attenuate water during flood events

“This tributary has failed water quality standards for many years, and the dam is contributing to this problem. We are very excited to reconnect this stream and restore natural function” said Karina Dailey, project manager with VNRC.

“We are proud to be part of this restoration project and look forward to the tributary naturalizing once the barrier and unnatural sediment deposits have been replaced with a free-flowing river, wood, and vegetation” said Jessica Louisos, PE, project engineer with SLR Consulting.

The Vermont Natural Resource Council (VNRC) is managing the project in collaboration with the landowner. The engineering firm responsible for the design is SLR Consulting of Waterbury, and the construction firm completing the removal is Markowski Excavating of Florence.