ESSEX — As the Winooski River swelled, small farms along Route 117 and a stretch of North Williston Road were submerged on Tuesday.
By 1:15 p.m. the water level had reached the edge of the asphalt on Route 117, going east. Passersby stopped to stare and take photos.
“I’ve never seen it like this,” said Roy McDonald of Essex, a lifelong Vermonter who was watching the water rise since the morning.
A longtime customer of Paul Mazza’s farm nearby, McDonald was stunned to find the farm and farmstand underwater Tuesday morning. “Maybe they could save some of the crops or it could make for a very tragic season,” he said.
Orange cones blocked the entrance of Mazza’s farm Tuesday afternoon. A truck was parked further down, blocking the view of the submerged farm. The water crept up past the white fence.
“We went through this during Irene,” said farm manager Kaity Mazza, who is Paul Mazza’s daughter.
In preparation of the storm, they tied and secured the farmstand, portable toilet and gas tank on Saturday. “This is probably the worst of it,” she said.
Luckily, it’s the smaller one among their many fields. They have about 250 acres collectively in Jericho, Williston, Essex and Colchester, she said.
The farm in Essex grows apples, strawberries, blueberries, corn, wildflowers and herbs on a smaller scale. The biggest loss is the pick your own blueberries — a popular section — and the field of corn, she estimated, adding they have backup crops at the other locations.
Given the May freeze and repeated rainfall, “this one’s definitely been a season for the history books,” Kaity Mazza said.
Loyal customers have been supportive, buying wares in Colchester, sending messages and asking how they can help with the cleanup, she added.
After the signs and beyond the parked truck in the driveway, the road dipped and disappeared underwater like a beach. What was once a field looked like an extension of the river.
“It’s very sad to look at,” said 15-year-old Mason Bauer, also of Essex, who has been working at the farm for a second summer.
Essex resident Kirk Wisehart said it could be worse. His office building across the street — Wisehart, Wimette & Associates PLC — has a flood line just below the second story from the infamous flood of 1927.
Nevertheless, he has never seen the water come so close to the roadway. “I don’t expect it will reach us,” he said.
Further down Route 117, a section of North Williston Road also dipped down and disappeared. Orange cones and a large “Road Closed” sign blocked the road. People on either side were separated by a wide gulf of water. A young boy stopped to take photos.
“It’s ridiculous,” he said before hopping on his bike and pedaling away.
Anna Fontaine pulled up in her white SUV on the other side of Route 117 and said her husband’s farm — Foley Fontaine Farm — on the Williston side was underwater. The fourth-generation family farm is about 200 acres.
“I’ve never seen it like this before,” she said. They had last driven by around 11 p.m. Monday when the water level wasn’t as high.
Evacuation was recommended there earlier in the day and there is water in the basement but the animals and the building were fine. Given the flooding, people have to now detour via Five Corners and Mountain View Road in Williston, she noted.
Chief of Police Ron Hoague said Essex had two closures on Tuesday — North Williston and Pettingill roads. At 11:30 a.m. he was notified that the river had reached Route 117 near Route 289.
“We have not seen any damage yet although we are monitoring the level of the Winooski closely. So far no homes seem to be in danger,” he said in an email.
Correction: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this story used an incorrect name North Williston Road in photo captions.
