A new year has begun. Last year kept the planners busy with floods and windstorms, among other things. Now they are working on ways to mitigate these disasters in the future while planning for new projects and challenges.

After the Flood

LCPC Assisting Communities and Property Owners with Flood Resiliency

The July 2023 Flood brought near record flood levels to many communities in our Region, especially those along the Lamoille River Main Stem.  The Main Stem flooded again in December 2023, Two of the four largest floods recorded in Lamoille County have occurred in the last six months. 

For decades, LCPC has worked with communities along the Lamoille Main Stem to identify opportunities to reduce flooding.  Following the July Flood, LCPC continued to support communities in recovery and long-term mitigation efforts. These efforts are guided by engagement with local leaders and community members and informed by science-based modeling of flood dynamics. 

• Johnson Town – LCPC assisted the Town of Johnson with a protective purchase of the “Holmes Meadow,” a currently undeveloped property in the Village. The next phase of the project will involve an active floodplain restoration project that will reduce flood levels and risks from ice and debris damming. The purchase and floodplain restoration are fully funded by the Vermont Flood Resilient Communities Fund.
• Johnson Village – LCPC is providing technical assistance to the Village of Johnson as it explores options to mitigate or relocate its wastewater treatment plant. The plant has flooded numerous times in the past and was inundated with about 7 ft of water during the July 2023 flood. LCPC’s portion of this work is funded by the Vermont Agency of Administration’s Municipal Technical Assistance Program. 
• Cambridge Town – LCPC assisted the Town of Cambridge with a protective purchase of a portion of the Brewster River floodway. The purchase is fully funded by the Vermont Flood Resilient Communities Fund.  
• Wolcott – Utilizing its modeling of the Lamoille Main Stem, LCPC helped the Town identify potential options to reduce flood damage to Flat Iron Road. Flat Iron Road was severely damaged during the July 2023 flood, with some areas washed to bedrock, and remains closed today. Flat Iron Road is the secondary route connecting the Wolcott Highway Garage and Fire Department to much of the rest of the Town. This modeling was funded through a Technical Assistance and Training Grant from USDA Rural Development. The Town submitted an application to the FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program for further engineering of long-term solutions to fix flood damages, while also working with FEMA to reopen the road.

The 2023 Floods also highlighted the fact that many Lamoille County residents live in areas vulnerable to flooding. Funding is currently available through Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) to cover 100% of the project cost for the voluntary purchase of properties that are at risk from flooding or landslides. LCPC is providing assistance to municipalities and residents who are pursuing buyout applications through FEMA.  Recently, LCPC partnered with the Lamoille Area Recovery Network (LeARN) and Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) to address questions from Johnson residents regarding the buyout process and to help complete applications.

For more information about the buyout process, visit VEM’s buyout page at https://vem.vermont.gov/funding/mitigation/buyouts or contact: dps.hazardmitigation@vermont.gov

Greening Up the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail

Lamoille FiberNet Communications Union District

In February the Lamoille FiberNet Communication Union District (LFCUD) began sharing office space with LCPC. This arrangement will allow for collaboration between the two agencies and increased efficiency for both. Several Board members of LCPC also serve on the Board of LFCUD. Jeff Tilton, Waterville's representative on the LCPC Board is currently the Chair of the LFCUD Board.

FY 24 Municipal Planning Grant Award

In December 2023 the Town of Hyde Park was awarded a Consortia Municipal Planning Grant through the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development in the amount of $40,500 in collaboration with the Towns of Cambridge and Stowe. This grant will fund LCPC’s time assisting Cambridge, Hyde Park, and Stowe with Municipal Plan updates. Plan updates will focus especially on flood resiliency planning, updating the housing element per the Home Act, and ensuring other new statutory requirements for municipal plans are met including updates per Act 174 (Enhanced Energy Planning Standards). The LCPC has entered into an agreement with the Town of Hyde Park for services related to these Municipal Plan updates.

The July 2023 flooding highlighted challenges Lamoille communities face moving forward. The flooding displaced many residents, especially in Cambridge Village and Jeffersonville Village, where flood levels were recorded similar to the magnitude of the 1927 Flood, inundating the 500-year floodplain. This put additional housing pressure on Lamoille County’s limited housing stock. The Town of Hyde Park had localized flooding related to insufficient drainage culverts along Centerville Road, Jones Road, and Diggins Road. Meanwhile the Town of Stowe had localized flooding impacting local businesses and homes along the West Branch of the Little River.

Municipal Plan updates for Cambridge, Hyde Park, and Stowe will evaluate existing policies and actions to promote flood resiliency, sustainable land use practices, and incorporate regional/local housing needs assessment data. Updating the Housing Element to reflect current housing characteristics will inform plan recommendations and policy developments addressing new requirements outlined in Act 47 (The Home Act). Flooding and other disasters impact all aspects of planning and present each community with the opportunity to revisit the Municipal Plan and the community vision.

Municipal Plan updates under this Consortia Grant will begin the spring of 2024. Meghan Rodier, LCPC Regional Planner, will serve as the Grant Administrator assisting the Town of Hyde Park with grant reporting and be the lead contact for the Hyde Park Town/Village Plan update. Meanwhile, LCPC’s newest senior staff member, Melissa Manka will be spearheading the Plan update for Cambridge Town/Village. Seth Jensen, Deputy Director will serve as the lead contact from LCPC’s staff for assisting with the Stowe Town Plan update.

Municipal Technical Assistance Program (MTAP)

MTAP is a program established in 2023 and offered by the State of Vermont Agency of Administration. The program funds Regional Planning Commission staff and/or consultants to assist municipalities that qualify under the Vermont Community Index. The goal is to assist those towns/villages that may lack staff capacity or the technical expertise to launch projects. MTAP projects must have one of following:

• Water infrastructure​
• Sewer infrastructure​
• Housing ​
• Community recovery, workforce development, and business support​
• Climate change mitigation and resilience​
• Community and economic development​

In Lamoille County, six municipalities were identified by the State as being MTAP eligible – Belvidere, Eden, Johnson Town, Johnson Village, Waterville, and Wolcott. LCPC is assisting with the following projects:

• Belvidere – Community playground and town forest
• Johnson Town - Small scale industrial park
• Johnson Village – Utility garage replacement and water treatment facility mitigation or relocation
• Wolcott – Decentralized community wastewater system

For more information on this program, please contact LCPC (lcpc@lcpcvt.org) or visit: https://finance.vermont.gov/content/municipal-technical-assistance

VFWD Upper Lamoille River Access Area

Berm Removal Project

In Partnership with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (VFWD), in the Summer of 2022 the Lamoille County Planning Commission (LCPC) received a Design/Implementation Block Grant funded by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, administered by Watersheds United Vermont, for Final Design and Implementation of a Berm Removal Project. This proposed Berm Removal Project is located at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department owned parcel near 182 Elmore Pond Road, Wolcott. The berm is located along the edge of the field west of the Access Area parking lot. The berm extends 500 ft along the top of the riverbank parallel to the Lamoille River, covering an area of 6,100 square feet. This area is susceptible to flooding and frequently experiences scouring and erosion near Bridge 8 on Elmore Pond Road. This river/road conflict area is a key location identified for streambank restoration in the 2020 Wolcott Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and 2018 Lamoille River Flood Modeling. This berm removal project will enhance floodplain access and allow floodwaters to dissipate naturally into the nearby vegetated field. Increasing access to the floodplain will reduce scouring and erosion near the Elmore Pond Road Bridge and along the streambank of the Lamoille River.

This project expands upon previous hydraulic modeling efforts along the Lamoille River. The existing berm proposed for removal ranges from 1 to 3 feet tall containing 540 cubic yards of material. The berm acts as a barrier to floodplain access. This project will aid in reducing the flow of nutrients and sediment from stormwater to the Lamoille River by decreasing streambank erosion and improving floodplain function, allowing floodwaters to access the floodplain and sediment to drop out onto the field during flooding events. This project focuses on an area on the Lamoille Mainstem that has been identified by hydraulic modeling to improve floodplain function. During the 2019 Halloween storm, floodwaters overtopped Elmore Pond Road, the VFWD Access Area parking lot, and portions of the field along the Lamoille River. Flood waters during the July 2023 flood overtopped the Elmore Pond Road Bridge, flooded the VFWD parking lot, and accessed the field on the VFWD parcel. Post flood analysis conducted by the engineering team SLR International Corporation, suggested the July flood accessed the 500-year floodplain at the VFWD Parcel. The hydraulic modeling for the proposed berm removal demonstrates the berm blocks flood flows from reaching the floodplain below the 25-year flood.

The berm removal is part of a larger floodplain restoration and partnership effort that will include the establishment of a 100-foot stream buffer and additional restoration/plantings efforts covering approximately 10 acres along the Lamoille River and on the VFWD property. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and the Lamoille County Conservation District (Lamoille NRCD) partnered to secure funding for implementation of the vegetative stream buffer and knotweed control. The VFWD and Lamoille NRCD are partnering with the Northwoods Stewardship Center to implement a series of plantings to improve the stream buffer and wildlife habitat. Together, these projects will enhance flood resiliency and riparian habitat along the Lamoille River. The Berm Removal project is currently out for bid and will be implemented spring/summer of 2024. For more information on this project contact Meghan Rodier, Regional Planner at meghan@lcpcvt.org.