2026

Mountain School Dam in Shrewsbury, VT

In 2026, RNRCD partnered with Vermont Natural Resources Council and Trout Unlimited to remove Mountain School Dam in Shrewsbury, Vermont. This project included the replacement of the culvert that runs through Mountain School Road.

Why?

3 reasons:

1.      Flood Resilience: The Cold River flows through here and Mountain School Rd has overtopped and sustained damage during prior flood events. Removing the dam and upsizing the culvert will provide more flood resilience for this critical town infrastructure.

2.      Water Quality: The Cold River eventually flows into Lake Champlain, a waterbody listed as “impaired” due to excessive nutrient loading. Nutrients (like phosphorus) are both naturally occurring in our soils and added to our landscape through human activity. This dam has impounded a lot of nutrient-rich sediment, so removing the dam, some sediment, and stabilizing the area with plantings will reduce the amount of sediment that washes downstream during heavy rainfall events. Additionally, culverts (like this one was) that are not sized or installed ideally can lead to bank erosion, which can also increase nutrient loading in waterways.

3.      Wildlife Habitat: Culverts are important travel ways for a variety of organisms. This culvert was “perched” resulting in a small waterfall into a pool at its exit. Aquatic organisms that are a natural part of Shrewsbury’s ecosystem couldn’t make it up such a distance, fragmenting the habitats of local invertebrates and fish.

Who partnered on this project?

Rutland Natural Resources Conservation District, in partnership with Vermont Natural Resources Council and Trout Unlimited, are managing this project. Thank you to the Town of Shrewsbury and abutting landowners for being supportive participants in this project!

Who is paid for this?

This project is funded in part by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation Clean Water Initiative Program through a grant administered by Vermont’s Natural Resources Conservation Council. This project has also been funded in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement (BIL 4N0A001022-1) to NEIWPCC in partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program Lake Champlain Basin Program via a grant passing through Vermont Natural Resources Council. The project also has funding from US Fish and Wildlife Service and Trout Unlimited. The Town of Shrewsbury generously supplied a sediment disposal site, tree removal, a temporary road, and traffic flagging support for this project. Thank you to all our project partners! We especially appreciate the support of VT DEC Rivers Engineers and US Fish and Wildlife Service who visited the site regularly, sharing their expertise to ensure this restoration project was a success!

NOTE: This project is still ongoing, with an expected completion date of Oct 31.