Dole Hill Road Culvert Replacement and River Enhancement Project
The Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District (WNRCD) worked with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and a private landowner at 101 Dole Hill Road in Northfield, Vermont to improve brook trout habitat and open one mile of aquatic organism passage along an unnamed tributary to the Dog River located at: Longitude: -72.6700 Latitude: 44.1379.
Multiple partner organizations worked together to fund and complete this project. Watershed Grant funding from WNRCD, funding from the USFWS, and landowner contribution were used to replace an undersized culvert with an appropriately-sized “squash pipe.” WNRCD also used Watershed Grant funds and Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VT DEC) funds to plant a native riparian buffer along the unnamed tributary to the Dog River.
Replacing the undersized culvert provides multiple benefits to the Dog River Watershed and to the greater Northfield community. The Dog River is an important native brook trout stream; the old, under-sized culvert was determined to be a barrier to aquatic organism passage, preventing brook trout from reaching important spawning grounds and thermal refugia. The barrier removal enhances brook trout habitat, stream connectivity and overall stream health. The old culvert was identified as a flooding hazard that had caused substantial bank erosion in the past. The replacement installation in this tributary will remove sediment barriers and assist in the restoration of the riverine system to a more natural state, decreasing this stream’s contribution to phosphorus into the Dog River, and ultimately, Lake Champlain. A more natural stream has increased flood resiliency, which will enhance the overall community in the Dog River Watershed.
In addition to opening aquatic organism passage, WNRCD worked with USFWS to install a forested riparian buffer along the unnamed tributary and around the excavation sites where the squash pipe was installed. The installation of the buffer will improve trout habitat by providing more shade along the tributary and stabilizing the banks to prevent further erosion and phosphorus inputs. The establishment of a forested buffer will also reduce flooding impacts in the community and along the Dog River. In the spring of 2015, the Intervale Conservation Nursery (ICN) work crew installed a 580 foot long, 15-foot wide buffer along the unnamed tributary to the Dog River. The Dog River meets the unnamed tributary and runs along the eastern edge of the property. As part of another WNRCD project, the ICN crew installed a 1,190 foot long, 40-foot wide buffer from the confluence of the unnamed tributary and the Dog River along the unforested riparian area on the property. The two buffer areas were planted with native bare root trees and shrubs. Volunteers planted native, larger stock trees and shrubs around the culvert replacement site in the fall of 2015 to assist in rapid stabilization. The landowner has agreed to monitor and care for the newly planted trees.
The WNRCD thanks our funders and partners for their efforts and support.
FOr more information on restoration projects and water quality protection, please visit; www.winooskinrcd.org
