Two public information meetings will be held by the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) this April to discuss how upcoming dam safety rules may affect the management of state-owned, manmade dams that have been impacted by beavers.
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is responsible for implementing Act 161 of 2018, including the development of technical standard dam safety rules for a wide range of dams outside of federal ownership. Included under the rule are approximately 100 dams owned by ANR such as the dam at the popular Bristol Pond Access Area in Monkton.
According to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (FWD), beavers have built on or around roughly a quarter of ANR’s dams. Beaver activity and debris on manmade dams can restrict spillway capacity and the ability of dams to safely pass flood flows. Additionally, this can cause reservoir water levels to remain elevated, stressing manmade dams and making them more susceptible to damage. When this happens the beaver material must be removed or dam modified to restore compliance, or the beavers must be removed. Removal of beaver materials from manmade dams will lower the water levels of affected waterbodies to varying degrees.
Engineers from DEC and wildlife biologists from FWD will present on the new dam safety rules and the options for bringing state dams impacted by beavers back into compliance. Following the presentation, a third-party moderator will solicit questions from attending members of the public to inform a written responsiveness summary from ANR that will be published by June 1, 2025.
Two in-person meetings will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the following dates and locations:
- April 8, 2025, at U-32 High School, 930 Gallison Hill Rd., Montpelier VT 05602
- April 10, 2025, at Middlebury Union High School, 73 Charles Ave., Middlebury VT 05735
A recording of the Montpelier meeting will be made available on ANR’s website, and questions to be addressed in ANR’s responsiveness summary may also be submitted via email to ANR.FWPublicComment@vermont.gov through May 2, 2025.
Contact:
Stephanie Brackin, Communications Director
Agency of Natural Resources
stephanie.brackin@vermont.gov, 802-261-0606