This article is by Taylor Reed of The Caledonian Record, in which it was first published July 23, 2013.
ST. JOHNSBURY — Culvert-damming beavers are responsible for the recent washout of a paved road in the St. Johnsbury-Lyndon Industrial Park expected to cost $120,000-$150,000 to repair.
St. Johnsbury Town Manager John Hall said the animals plugged a four foot culvert beneath the road in order to fill an abutting wetland with standing water. Summer rain drove the water level six feet above the culvert and eroded soil beneath the road.
It was noticed about two weeks ago when the road began to crumble, Hall said. Town officials feared standing water could destroy the road, charge across the nearby St. Johnsbury Country Club and downhill to “take out” a small pond behind Weidmann Electrical Technology, Hall said.
“So that became the problem,” he said.
As such, the standing water was drained with a motorized pump. The pump ran for days, Hall said.
Workers dismantled the beaver dam piece by piece as the water fell, he said.
The roadway has not been repaired. Hall said financial assistance was requested from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
St. Johnsbury-based Northeastern Vermont Development Association, or NVDA, will handle road repairs, Hall said. The organization and a five member board manages the industrial park for St. Johnsbury and Lyndon.
“The board is sort of like a select board of the industrial park and NVDA is their manager,” Hall said. “They run it like a little town.”
St. Johnsbury and Lyndon both contribute “substantial” tax dollars to NVDA for the park’s management, Hall said. The 40-year old agreement is designed to stimulate the local economy and does, Hall said.
In other business, St. Johnsbury recently experienced a large washout on the dirt surfaced Mount Pisgah Road, Hall said. The town has requested assistance from FEMA to offset repair costs, he said.
“It will be a awhile before we hear anything,” Hall said.
It is unclear what the repair bill is. St. Johnsbury used town materials and workers for the job.
The town as such submitted hours spent and materials used to FEMA, Hall said. The agency uses the data to calculate a reimbursement number, he said.
Heavy rain this summer has resulted in numerous examples of minor road damage, Hall said.
“Every storm we have some damage,” he said.
It keeps the St. Johnsbury Public Works Department extremely busy, Hall said. Routine maintenance sometimes is delayed so workers can handle washouts and downed trees, he said.
Crosswalk painting, for example, was delayed, Hall said.
Everything though will eventually be accomplished, he said. The issue largely amounts to a scheduling headache managers in this state are familiar with, he said.
“It has been a challenge,” Hall said. “It’s hard to plan, especially when you have to work around weather in Vermont.”
