Berm Removal - Construction Services and Sitework

In Partnership with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (VFWD), in Summer of 2022 the Lamoille County Planning Commission (LCPC) received a Design/Implementation Block Grant funded by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, administered by Watersheds United Vermont, for Final Design and Implementation of a Berm Removal Project. This proposed Berm Removal Project is located at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (VFWD) owned parcel near 182 Elmore Pond Road, Wolcott, VT 05680. The berm is located along the edge of the field west of the Access Area parking lot. Berm removal is focused on only the berm on river left (looking downstream). The berm extends 500ft along the top of the riverbank parallel to the Lamoille River, covering an area of 6,100 square feet. This area is susceptible to flooding and frequently experiences scouring and erosion near Bridge 8 on Elmore Pond Road. This river/road conflict area is a key location identified for streambank restoration in the 2020 Wolcott Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and 2018 Lamoille River Flood Modeling. This berm removal project will enhance floodplain access and allow floodwaters to dissipate naturally into the nearby vegetated field. Increasing access to the floodplain will reduce scouring and erosion near the Elmore Pond Road Bridge and along the streambank of the Lamoille River. This project expands upon previous hydraulic modeling efforts along the Lamoille River. The existing berm proposed for removal ranges from 1 to 3 feet tall containing 540 cubic yards of material. The berm acts as a barrier to floodplain access. This project will aid in reducing the flow of nutrients and sediment from stormwater to the Lamoille River by decreasing streambank erosion and improving floodplain function, allowing floodwaters to access the floodplain and sediment to drop out onto the field during flooding events. This project focuses on an area on the Lamoille Mainstem that has been identified by hydraulic modeling to improve floodplain function. During the 2019 Halloween storm, floodwaters overtopped Elmore Pond Road, the VFWD Access Area parking lot, and portions of the field along the Lamoille River. Flood waters during the July 2023 flood overtopped the Elmore Pond Road Bridge, flooded the VFWD parking lot, and accessed the field on the VFWD parcel. Post flood analysis conducted by the engineering team, SLR International Corporation, indicated that USGS gauge data suggest the July flood was a 500-year flood event and flooded the field at the VFWD Parcel. The hydraulic modeling for the proposed berm removal demonstrates the berm blocks flood flows from reaching the floodplain below the 25-year flood. The berm removal is part of a larger floodplain restoration and partnership effort that will include the establishment of a 100-foot stream buffer and additional restoration/plantings efforts covering approximately 10 acres along the Lamoille River and on the VFWD property. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and the Lamoille County Conservation District partnered to secure funding for implementation of the vegetative stream buffer and knotweed control. These projects combined will enhance flood resiliency and riparian habitat along the Lamoille River. Two Knotweed treatments have already taken place to control Knotweed on the upstream field where the berm is proposed for removal. The design plans reference the disposal areas in the upstream field where berm removal soils are to be buried 5ft in an effort to prevent the spread of Knotweed. The stream buffer planting is not included in this request for bids.