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Residents, consultants debate upstream fixes for Jones Mill and Snipe Island Brook
Summary
Stone Environmental found limited village-scale improvements from downstream fixes because of backwater from the Winooski; the team focused on upsizing culverts and targeted upland nature-based measures in tributaries, but residents urged attention to upland runoff and historic culvert failures.
Consultants told the board that backwater effects from the Winooski River limit the benefits of some downstream actions in the Jones Mill neighborhood, so they focused on culvert and road improvements and some upland nature-based options in the tributaries. "We really ended up starting to focus a bit more on our tributaries and specifically thickly dialing in on the Stage Road culvert replacement and upsizing the 2 culverts together," the consultant said.
Residents described undersized or improvised culverts and dramatic flows in small brooks during recent storms. One resident said culverts had been "picked up and just thrown down the road" in past events and urged the town to consider channel restoration, catch basins and in-right-of-way settling ponds to reduce runoff from the interstate and upland sections. Consultants cautioned that some nature-based upland solutions are difficult to demonstrate in FEMA benefit-cost analyses and may need other funding sources.
