Editor’s note: This commentary is by David Mears, who is the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.
We are lucky to have the Waterbury Reservoir, one of the most visited bodies of water in Vermont and home to two state parks and Mt. Mansfield State Forest. The reservoir and the Little River provide many opportunities for swimming, fishing, birdwatching, boating and access to hiking and camping areas within the state forest. We also benefit from the renewable energy generated by the hydroelectric facility that is part of the Waterbury Reservoir Dam and run by Green Mountain Power. Perhaps most importantly, this dam, built in response to the flood of 1927, protects communities along the Winooski River from catastrophic flood damage, a function that it served well during the floods of 2011.
The Agency of Natural Resources is committed to protecting all of these uses and benefits. My department, the Department of Environmental Conservation along with our two sister departments within the agency, the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, are required to issue a water quality certification for the Waterbury Reservoir Dam. We are holding an informal meeting on Oct. 7, to get public input before we begin the formal legal process.
Agency approval is required because the dam includes a hydroelectric project operated by Green Mountain Power under a license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. This license has expired and must be renewed. Under the federal Clean Water Act, the Agency of Natural Resources must certify that federally licensed hydropower projects will meet state water quality standards. This is an opportunity for us to work with Green Mountain Power to reduce the environmental impacts of the dam. Making this decision requires balancing a number of competing interests and ensuring that we are acting in conformance with the law.
This is an opportunity for us to work with Green Mountain Power to reduce the environmental impacts of the dam. Making this decision requires balancing a number of competing interests and ensuring that we are acting in conformance with the law.
The Waterbury Record’s recent article about the relicensing process for Green Mountain Power’s hydroelectric project has generated a spirited conversation, a testament to the importance of the reservoir to central Vermont communities. That conversation will continue on Oct. 7, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at Thatcher Brook Primary School. At this informal meeting, the agency will be seeking input from the public regarding the water quality certification before we make a decision.
Some commenters in the recent article suggested that the agency has decided to lower the reservoir. While this is one of the options we are considering, since it would enhance the dam’s capacity to hold floodwaters, we are also considering other approaches to balance the multiple uses of the dam and reservoir while protecting public safety for communities along the Winooski River.
Keeping the reservoir at the summer recreational level year round would maximize the recreational use and ecological health of the reservoir and Little River. This choice is currently our preferred option, though we remain open to hearing concerns. For instance, one concern that has been voiced is that taking this approach would require us to pay closer attention to water levels in the reservoir, particularly in the spring, to ensure that the dam could be used, as intended, to hold back floodwaters.
Either of these approaches would allow Green Mountain Power to generate electricity, though not at the same levels that they currently produce.
We understand that people are passionate about these issues and look forward to discussing the pros and cons of each option under consideration on Oct. 7.
