Centerville Brook AOP Obstructions Design Planning Hyde Park

Site 1: Centerville Brook Dam Removal In March of 2023, a small parcel located by Centerville Brook Dam was sold to the Town of Hyde Park. In spring of 2023 the Town of Hyde Park met with state and regional partners from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, the Vermont Natural Resources Council, and the Lamoille County Planning Commission to evaluate this site for a potential dam removal and wetland restoration project. In September 2023, the Town of Hyde Park secured funding through the Lamoille Clean Water Service Provider to explore options for Dam Removal and to complete a 30% design. In fall of 2023 the Town of Hyde Park transferred project sponsorship and the awarded grant to the LCPC to manage and provide project coordination support. In spring of 2024, the LCPC, through a competitive bid process, hired Fitzgerald Environmental Associates (FEA) to complete 30% design plans for the Centerville Brook Dam Removal Project. Throughout 2024-2025 LCPC, FEA and the Town of Hyde Park met with state, federal partners, and adjacent landowners to provide input during the preliminary design process. In 2025, Fitzgerald Environmental Associates (FEA) completed a 30% Preliminary Design Report. In winter 2025 the LCPC collaborated with the Town of Hyde Park to apply for an Aquatic Organism Passage Grant through the Lake Champlain Basin Program to complete final design plans for the Centerville Brook Dam Removal Project. This grant scope was expanded to include preliminary design planning for two culverts that are an immediate downstream barrier to aquatic organism passage. In spring of 2026 the LCPC was awarded the AOG Grant through the Lake Champlain Basin Program. In August 2026, the LCPC received an executed agreement with the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission. For Site 1, the project will bring the dam removal from the completed 30% preliminary design to a 100% shovel-ready final design, covering full structural removal, stream channel restoration, sediment management, and relocation of the existing dry hydrant. FEA concluded that full dam removal is the only viable option to restore stream connectivity and eliminate flood risk. Removal will restore the stream channel’s equilibrium, reduce streambank erosion, and restore the stream channel to a natural state. The Dam Removal project will involve removal of approximately 200 cubic yards of impounded sediment and utilize timber grade controls and Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) to enhance habitat complexity. The stream reach assessment also documents significant bank erosion (697 feet, 31.6% of reach length) and ice/debris jam potential. These conditions will be addressed through improved sediment transport following dam removal. As dam removal at Site 1 will lower water levels and render the existing dry hydrant unusable, the final design will integrate the hydrant’s relocation from the north side of Centerville Road to a viable downstream location at Brook Road (Site 3). The viability of this location was verified during the preliminary design phase and confirmed by the Hyde Park Fire Chief and Troy Dare with the Rural Fire Protection Program. Sites 2 & 3 Centerville Rd and Brook Rd Culverts To improve aquatic organism passage and consider downstream impacts of the dam removal, the project has been expanded to address three sites along Centerville Brook; Site 1 (Centerville Brook Dam), Site 2 (Centerville Road culvert), and Site 3 (Brook Road culvert). These immediate downstream culverts are perched and act as a barrier to aquatic organism passage. Re-establishing a natural stream channel will enhance flood water capacity and improve water quality. For Sites 2 and 3, the project will complete 30% preliminary designs for two perched town culverts that currently block passage for native brook trout and other aquatic species. The Centerville Road culvert (Site 2) is a steel squash pipe that is in good condition (#1-1-17). The 2010 Centerville Brook Corridor Plan (Bear Creek Environmental) classified this crossing as “No aquatic organism passage (AOP) for all aquatic organisms”. The Brook Road culvert (Site 3) is a concrete box culvert with a perched outlet that blocks aquatic organism passage. (#45-1-2). This preliminary design planning effort will take into consideration the current condition of these culverts and explore AOP retrofits vs. a full culvert replacement.