Blueberry Lake Dam Rehabilitation

Warren, Vermont

Blueberry Lake is a 45-acre recreational impoundment. A portion of Plunkton Road, located on the crest of the dam, provides access to the Green Mountain National Forest and local residences beyond the dam. Vermont dam safety engineers identified deficiencies with the primary and emergency outlets, which would require a drawdown to repair.

Repairing the dam required closing the roadway to vehicular traffic, which would cause residents to travel a seven-mile detour; this provided concerns for emergency response time. Project investigations revealed that an old road, submerged six feet below water, was suitable to serve as a temporary detour. The old roadway became a cost-effective alternative detour for the Town.

The dam embankment is 38 ft high and 530 ft long. The existing principal spillway and low level drain were removed and replaced with one new conduit at the maximum section requiring very deep cuts and steep slopes. 8,600 cubic yards of embankment had to be excavated. The excavated material, stored on site, created a 30-ft-high by 100-ft-long mound of earth. Ninety five percent of the excavated material was reused for the dam and roadway reconstruction. Due to the pristine environment surrounding the dam, special provisions were required for sediment control to minimize impacts to natural ecosystem habitats. The Erosion Control Plan developed for the project, was unique in that it accommodated both the roadway and dam reconstruction and satisfied the requirements of the Dam Safety Permit.