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Jericho begins Town Forest dam removal; contractor work to start next week
Summary
The Jericho Conservation Commission reported that crews began opening the Town Forest spillway and contractors will start mechanical removal next Tuesday; the project includes hazard removals and a parallel Cilley Hill dam study funded by a grant with fieldwork starting July 23.
Karina Dailey, a member of the Jericho Conservation Commission, reported that "the dam removal process started today with a manual opening of the spillway flood gate which allowed water to be drained from the impoundment pool," a step intended to let sediment dry before mechanical removal.
The commission was told contractors will begin work next Tuesday and the Town Forest removal is expected to be completed within about two weeks. The contractors will also remove an old power-supply box from a former pump system and will fill a remaining old well with stone to remove a potential public hazard. A documentary filmmaker from Jericho, Connor Gallagher, filmed the initial opening of the spillway.
Separately, Dailey updated the commission on the Cilley Hill Dam Assessment: University of Vermont teams are conducting an engineering cost-comparison of repair versus removal and a historical review. The fieldwork for that study is scheduled to begin on July 23, 2026, and the study is expected to produce a report the town can use in deciding the dam's future; Dailey said the analysis is grant-funded and imposes no direct cost to Jericho taxpayers. She said the project team will determine whether the dam holds back the 500,000 cubic feet threshold that triggers additional Dam Safety Act measures.
Commissioners discussed liability for dam upkeep. Wayne Ellis asked whether the town currently assumes that liability; Dailey said yes. Dailey also reported that the additional liability portion of Flood Safety (Act 121) did not pass. The commission asked for further jurisdictional review from the State, which will proceed independent of the UVM engineering and historical assessment.
The commission listed next steps as contractor mobilization next week, continued public outreach on trail impacts and safety around the work zone, and the Cilley Hill study's fieldwork and final report expected later in 2026.
