Vermont dam‑safety officials outline staffing increase, project priorities and financing risk for Waterbury and other state dams

Ben Vereen, section chief of the Dam Safety Program at the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, told the Legislative Institutions Committee the program now regulates roughly 1,000 nonfederal dams and directly owns 14 state dams, and that a recent staffing increase will expand the agency’s capacity to manage assessments, design and construction.

The committee heard detailed updates on the Waterbury Dam project, which officials said is the largest state‑owned dam and currently has $60 million in federal appropriations attached but a project estimate that has risen into the $80–$99 million range. Vereen said the state’s negotiated share for the federal allocation is about 7% of the $60 million (roughly $4.5 million). If the project ultimately costs about $90 million, the state would be responsible for the balance above the current combined allocation — officials said that could be on the order of $25 million more than the amounts currently in hand.

Why it matters: Waterbury and Wrightsville are flood‑control dams whose performance affects downstream communities. Committee members pressed agency staff on risks tied to rising cost estimates and on the program’s ability to convert appropriations into completed projects.

Program scope and staffing - Vereen said the Dam Safety Program is in the water‑investment division within DEC and has primary responsibility for regulating nonhydropower, nonfederal dams and for owning and maintaining 14 state‑owned dams. He said the program currently has two licensed engineers, two staff engineers and a program administrative analyst and that, through FY21 appropriations, four new positions were approved — including a newly hired project manager to improve contracting and budget oversight and two additional engineers and a technician planned to start soon.

Waterbury Dam: funding, schedule and risks - Officials said the federal contribution currently identified for Waterbury is about $60 million; the agency’s most recent working project estimate ranges from $80 million to $99 million and includes sizable contingencies. Vereen said the state negotiated a 7% state match on the $60 million federal allocation; that 7% was described as consistent with the amount the state paid when the dam was originally constructed in the 1930s. - DEC staff said design work is scheduled to begin in 2025, with design completion expected in late 2026 and construction tentatively planned for calendar years 2027–2029, subject to funding being available at bid time. “We are really at the mercy of the federal government,” one committee member said; Vereen replied the project is moving through Army Corps of Engineers modification and environmental review steps and that the Corps‑led review was near public notice. - On the question of whether federal appropriations were at risk, Vereen said he had not heard anything to indicate the current $60 million was frozen and that his team maintains regular contact with federal partners.

Other projects and prioritization - The presentation listed a six‑dam comprehensive assessment contract out to bid (Kent Pond, Lowell Lake, two Knappbrook sites, Crystal Lake, Fulton Pond) and identified projects that have emerged as higher priority because of recent flood damage, including Gale Meadows (Fish & Wildlife) and Noyes Pond (DEC), where temporary repairs were funded following 2023 flood impacts. - DEC staff described a program strategy of completing comprehensive assessments, moving projects into final design, and then into construction to maintain a pipeline of projects at different phases. Members asked for reconciled project spreadsheets linking earlier appropriations to present work schedules; the committee asked that a small group of members and staff work through the flow of dollars and encumbrances to clarify which projects are ready for design and which remain in assessment.

Hazard classifications and operations - Vereen summarized hazard potential categories (high, significant, low, minimal) and said the program generally prioritizes high and significant hazard potential dams because of public‑safety implications. Committee members asked about operational changes, particularly at Wrightsville Reservoir after the July 2023 flood; staff described an Army Corps cost‑share study of operational flexibility and noted gaps in original construction records that are being addressed through geotechnical assessments.

Ending: Committee members thanked DEC for the briefing and asked for follow‑up material — reconciled project lists, a clearer mapping of appropriations to milestone schedules, and a short briefing on the Waterbury project timetable for committee members.