Vermont Dam Nears Capacity Due to 'Historic' Flooding: 'No Precedent for Potential Damage'

Officials said on Tuesday that "waters are still rising" at the Wrightsville Dam and were "approaching approximately 1 foot from the spillway"

Flooding concerns continue across Vermont as rescue crews prepare for the worst as more storms threaten the state.

Authorities say at least three major dams threatened to overflow after a series of storms hammered the Green Mountain state on Sunday and Monday.

The Ball Mountain and Townshend Dams were initially expected to release “large quantities of water” as a result of the flooding, which officials feared would cause “severe” flooding downstream, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ New England District.

Now, both dams are expected to release water “in smaller amounts than previously anticipated.”

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Meanwhile, the Wrightsville Dam had just six feet of storage capacity left as of Tuesday morning, according to a statement from Montpelier City Manager William Fraser. Around noon, officials said that "waters are still rising at the dam and are approaching approximately 1 foot from the spillway."

Water would be released into the North Branch River should the dam exceed capacity, leaving the state capital at risk of sustaining further flood damage, according to Frasier.

“Unfortunately, there are very few evacuation options remaining,” the city manager said Tuesday. Fraser also suggested those living who have not fled the area seek higher ground, such as the “upper floors” of their houses.

"This has never happened since the dam was built so there is no precedent for potential damage," the official added. "There would be a large amount of water coming into Montpelier which would drastically add to the existing flood damage."

“Multiple water rescue teams” have made their way to Montpelier, Police Chief Eric Nordenson said in a separate statement.

By 10 a.m. Tuesday, crews saw "a slight reduction" in water levels in Montpelier's downtown area, according to the Montpelier Police Department.

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As of Tuesday morning, portions of southern and central Vermont have seen between seven and nine inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service in Burlington.

The Winooski River reached its second-highest water level ever, “behind only the historic 1927 flood,” according to the City of Montpelier.

“We have not seen rainfall like this since Irene,” Governor Phil Scott said, referring to the tropical storm that hit the state in August 2011, according to the Associated Press.

However, Irene only lasted 24 hours. “We’re getting just as much rain, if not more. It’s going on for days,” Scott said. “That’s my concern. It’s not just the initial damage. It’s the wave, the second wave, and the third wave.”

“Make no mistake, the devastation and flooding we're experiencing across Vermont is historic and catastrophic," he added.

President Joe Biden has approved a request “for an emergency declaration covering all 14 counties” in Vermont, Scott said in a tweet early Tuesday morning.

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The state will dry off some on Tuesday and Wednesday, but storms return Thursday and Friday, according to Vermont Emergency Management.

More than 6,800 Vermont residents were without power Tuesday morning, according to VTOutages.org.

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