A WRP project to remove the derelict Hyde Dam on the Second Branch of the White River in East Bethel, Vermont started this week. The WRP and Greater Upper Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited (GUVTU) will host a tour of the project on Friday, September 17 at 6pm.
“The site tour is open to anyone interested in seeing the project in-progress,” said Robb Cramer, GUVTU chapter president. “Removing the Hyde Dam will restore and open 60 miles of the river to fish passage so that wild trout and other species can find cooler water temperatures in the hot summer months and spawning grounds in the fall.”
GUVTU is contributing $14,301 from Trout Unlimited’s Embrace A Stream grant and the TU/Orvis Challenge to the dam removal project, matching funds received from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Upper Connecticut River Mitigation and Enhancement Fund and US Fish & Wildlife Service’s National Fish Passage Program. The WRP is managing the project, collaborating with local contractors Canonica Landworks and Ripple Natural Resources and landowner Vermont River Conservancy to complete in-stream work later this month.
As a complement to their financial investment, GUVTU is contributing time to the project, engaging interested community members in a series of education and stewardship events designed to raise awareness about the benefits of fish passage and coldwater habitat. In addition to the site tour on September 17, GUVTU will host a tree planting event in late-September or early-October to restore the riparian buffer at the former dam site.
The Hyde Dam is located immediately downstream of the Store Hill Road bridge across the Second Branch in East Bethel. Parking for the tour is available at the Middle Branch Grange (78 Store Hill Road, Bethel).
News
Posted: January 1, 2024 by wrp_admin
2024 White River Water Quality Report
The White River Partnership’s 2024 Water Quality Report is now available. The report summarizes data collected by WRP staff and trained volunteers at 22 sites during summer 2024.
THANK YOU to our 2024 water quality monitoring volunteers, to the businesses and partners who stored water samples, and to Vermont Water Quality Division staff and partners who help us analyze our data and plan for the upcoming sampling season!
For more information, please visit our Water Quality Monitoring Program page.
Posted: January 3, 2022 by wrp_admin
2021 Water Trail highlights
With help from landowners, funding partners, local contractors, and 150 volunteers, the WRP completed a variety of work to protect and improve access to the White River in 2021:
-25 stewards visited White River Water Trail sites around the watershed each month, from May-September, to monitor site use, report hazards, and remove trash;
-25 volunteers monitored water quality at 25 swimming holes around the watershed, from May-September, to help us determine whether the river is safe for swimming;
-100 volunteers removed 10,500 pounds of trash from the river during 2 river cleanup events, including 225 tires; and
-A local contractor constructed parking, walking trails, and a set of stone steps to improve river access in Gaysville.
Check out the 2021 White River Water Trail Highlights report to learn more!
Posted: September 9, 2021 by wrp_admin
Hyde Dam removal project tour
A WRP project to remove the derelict Hyde Dam on the Second Branch of the White River in East Bethel, Vermont started this week. The WRP and Greater Upper Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited (GUVTU) will host a tour of the project on Friday, September 17 at 6pm.
“The site tour is open to anyone interested in seeing the project in-progress,” said Robb Cramer, GUVTU chapter president. “Removing the Hyde Dam will restore and open 60 miles of the river to fish passage so that wild trout and other species can find cooler water temperatures in the hot summer months and spawning grounds in the fall.”
GUVTU is contributing $14,301 from Trout Unlimited’s Embrace A Stream grant and the TU/Orvis Challenge to the dam removal project, matching funds received from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Upper Connecticut River Mitigation and Enhancement Fund and US Fish & Wildlife Service’s National Fish Passage Program. The WRP is managing the project, collaborating with local contractors Canonica Landworks and Ripple Natural Resources and landowner Vermont River Conservancy to complete in-stream work later this month.
As a complement to their financial investment, GUVTU is contributing time to the project, engaging interested community members in a series of education and stewardship events designed to raise awareness about the benefits of fish passage and coldwater habitat. In addition to the site tour on September 17, GUVTU will host a tree planting event in late-September or early-October to restore the riparian buffer at the former dam site.
The Hyde Dam is located immediately downstream of the Store Hill Road bridge across the Second Branch in East Bethel. Parking for the tour is available at the Middle Branch Grange (78 Store Hill Road, Bethel).