By Ron Rosko
EAGLE TIMES CORRESPONDENT
BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. — A segment of the Connecticut River north of the Bellows Falls dam was reduced to extremely low levels on Thursday to allow dam owner Great River Hydro to repair stanchions.
The stanchions, otherwise known as flashboards, had to be removed because of the high-water events on July 10 and 11. A press release issued on Tuesday explained the water would start to be drawn down that afternoon to allow the stanchions to be repaired.
“To make the necessary repairs, the level of the water behind the dam will need to be below the bottom of the stanchions or 13 feet down,” said Matthew Cole from Great River Hydro’s community relations department.
According to Cole, Great River Hydro works with the National Weather Service’s River Forecast Center out of Taunton, Mass., to facilitate how best to control the water flow.
“Although we thought we had more room for water behind the dam during the July 10 and 11 high water events,” he said, “the [National Weather Service] advised us to move the river along and remove the stanchions.”
Cole went on to say that although this was a major event, and communities such as Montpelier, Ludlow, and Londonderry, Vermont experienced flooding on a scale as severe (or more) than Tropical Storm Irene, it did not quite meet that threshold at the Bellows Falls facility.
In accordance with the license for the facility, Cole said the water can be lowered to extreme levels — as were witnessed on Thursday — for maintenance purposes, but the lowering must adhere to time limits specified by regulations. The Connecticut River Conservancy’s Kate Buckman explained that this gives inhabitants of the river time to move and adjust, and it also helps control erosion by allowing the banks of the river to adjust as well.
“Although this is a really dramatic drawdown,” she said, “it was done slowly and most fish would be able to adjust, but the slower moving invertebrates, such as mussels, and plants such as lily pads, may potentially be impacted.”
The cloudy coolish weather on Thursday made for favorable conditions for the impacted species, she said. Fish eggs could experience an impact, but given the time of year, coupled with the flooding and rains of July, chances are that will not be the case.
Boat launches in Rockingham and Springfield, Vt., as well as Charlestown and North Walpole, N.H., were closed during this event and public use of the river was strongly discouraged. The low water level presented many hazards to recreationists, such as lengthy traversing through mud to get to the water, which would make rescue very difficult to impossible. Debris and rocks were also uncovered creating a high collision hazard.
By 4:45 p.m. on Thursday, water levels appeared to already be rising, but it was still a 50-foot jaunt through the mud to reach any water. Meanwhile, the dock sat completely out of the water above the mud, leaving onlookers astounded.
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