GLOVER, Vt. (WCAX) – Tensions are rising in one small Vermont town due to a clash between 19th-century infrastructure and 21st-century flooding.
Two floods later, Glover’s Shadow Lake Dam could use a facelift.
However, it’s one of dozens that need fixing or complete overhauls, and it’s not exactly at the top of the list. That’s where the trouble lies.
On the morning of July 11th this summer, Theresa Perron-Janowski rose with the floods.
“I was already awake and I was hitting the ground around five o’clock in the morning checking on people,” said Perron-Janowski.
Her next stop: Shadow Lake Dam. As the Town Administrator, it’s her job to monitor the centuries-old structure.
To her dismay, a sinkhole formed during the 2023 floods had grown.
“We could literally see like a trickle of water running through the sinkhole…that was the beginning of our worries and concerns,” she said.
Glover fixed the sinkhole and secured the dam, bringing the lake down two feet.
But it’s only a temporary fix.
The dam needs a structural analysis to determine the next steps, but Glover just lost out on $85,000 in FEMA funds to another, more dire project.
Perron-Janowski has conflicted feelings about that.
“I mean, disappointment. But I understand, you know, when you look at the big picture of what’s been going on, I’m almost embarrassed to ask for help because so many other people need help,” said Perron-Janowski.
The fight for dam fixing funds comes down to hazard level.
Shadow Lake Dam is one of Vermont’s 130 significant hazard dams, meaning properties downstream in Glover and Barton would be damaged during a break.
However, communities near Vermont’s 47 high-hazard dams like Waterbury Reservoir, Wrightsville, and East Barre dams are likely to kill people if they break.
That’s why dam safety officials say communities like Glover aren’t first on the list to receive funding and may have to resort to community fundraising.
“It really comes down to, I guess, what the majority succeed sees and what they want to have. And unfortunately, dams come with a price tag, and finding funding is going to be a challenge,” said Ben Green of the Department of Environmental Conservation.
But Perron-Janowski believes Glover residents are willing to shell out to preserve the dam.
“I think we can if we come together,” she said.
Green says there are 47 dams managed by the state that are ranked high hazard, with 130 ranked significant hazard.
