Mitigating Flood Damage In Middlebury

In Middlebury, the Select Board is forming a special task force to develop a plan for on-going management of the Middlebury River in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene.

For weeks, residents in East Middlebury have been raising concerns about the dredging and re-channeling of the river that took place after the storm. They say that work in the river could worsen future flooding downstream.

The Army Corps of Engineers is investigating whether towns like Middlebury violated the Clean Water Act when they did excavation work in streams following Irene. The Army Corps has notified Middlebury town officials about possible violations.

Middlebury's Select Board says the new task force is part of the town's Hazard Mitigation Plan, which is a prerequisite for cities and towns to receive federal emergency management funding.

Middlebury's Town Manager says the group could include representatives from the Agency of Natural Resources, the Addison County Regional Planning Commission and a river scientist.

You can read select board minutes from Middlebury and more Vermont cities and towns at VPR's Public Post.