Posted on July 17, 2024
BARRE, Vt. – Last week’s torrential rains made rivers jump their banks again. That’s left some victims asking what can be done to protect their communities from flooding.
Some suggest dredging– or digging out the middle of rivers– could solve problems in places like Barre. But others warn dredging can have unintended consequences downstream and on wildlife.
It’s a sight familiar to many in the Granite City, clouds of flood dust kicked up on a sweltering day, a reminder of last week’s floods which once again tore through town.
“They can’t win, nobody can win,” said Kyle Green of Barre.
Green spent the last year helping to rebuild his neighbor’s home on Harrington Street in Barre.
But when the Stevens Branch of the Winooski River flooded, the community was on edge. Green says he was heartbroken to see a year of recovery washed away last week.
“I watched them for a year rebuild all of their stuff to have it turn right around and taken again,” he said. “They’re defeated.”
Green and others in town suggest dredging rivers and removing things like silt and debris to allow more water to flow, potentially alleviating Barre’s flood problems.
But Vt. Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore says dredging rivers needs to be done carefully and in certain situations.
“Even though it may seem out of place as ANR secretary to say this, our approach to managing dredging is not about fish habitat or water quality, it’s about public safety,” Moore said.
Vermont has 7,000 miles of rivers and streams.
“It’s my driveway, my house, my livelihood, my family, my friends are worth more than a fish. No disrespect to the fish,” Green said.
Dredging can also have negative consequences downstream, like speeding up the velocity of water and causing erosion.
“Without thinking about the whole river system, an approach that may better protect your property could have catastrophic consequences for your neighbors,” Moore said.
Instead, officials say the most effective way to mitigate floods is to widen floodplains instead of making rivers deeper.
Moore adds that storms driven by climate change mean floods are going to be more common.
