Sorting Out After the High Water

Most of Vermont is struggling this morning, either cleaning up after high water damage or trying to "get there from here." Roads are closed in various spots, but crews are out there hauling gravel and bull-dozing away masses of earth that was removed and redeposited by the heavy rain and flash floods.

Here at Joe's Pond we haven't had a lot of damage to homes that I've heard about, although Pearl Island was well submerged and the Pearl family once again has to deal with their little jewel of an island being so vulnerable to high water. Liz Sargent, aunt of the present owner Henry Pearl, sent these photos.

Today's Caledonian Record has lots of photos of damage in the area, and a very thorough report. I mentioned here yesterday that two boats had gone over the dam in West Danville. Those are two that we know about because they were seen yesterday morning, but there could be others that have been carried further down Joe's Brook. Hastings Store remained open all night during the storm for people who had evacuated to take shelter and for work crews to find hot coffee and food. 

On Tuesday, we began collecting and sorting out items floating in the pond. Emails began coming to me with photos of retrieved items, messages about lost items, and as the day progressed, a few boats were out on the pond collecting deck furniture, runaway floats, and whatever else was drifting free in the pond. Abel and Kitty Toll from the big island had their pontoon boat loaded with retrieved items (see photo, right). If you have lost something, you may want to check with them. Their home phone is 802-684-3671. Here are some of the other items I've been asked to post:

First, the buoy and section of dock that Jamie Dimick was looking for has been found.

At 44 Clubhouse Circle, Louis Monaghan has retrieved this red float (pictured at right)  and two kayaks. He will be at camp on Friday if you have lost these items. His cell is 860-756-6178, or swing by on Friday.

At 3524 Rte. 2W, Susan Yesalonia has retrieved a white plastic block and a blue Seadoo cover (photo, left) and it is on their waterfront. The owner can pick it up whenever it is convenient.

Please remember that while the water is so high, any additional wake from your boat can cause more damage to already vulnerable waterfronts or craft at moorings. Please proceed on the water slowly. Now is not the time for joyful water skiing, hotdogging with jet skis, and particularly larger craft that throw up a large wake. Be respectful of people trying to put their waterfronts and property back together after a devastating experience with high water. 

It will take some time for things to be located and returned to wherever they belong. There will be other debris floating, as well, so be careful if you go out on the water and watch for half-submerged logs, tree branches, old docks, or other junk not normally floating around in the pond. After high water, anything not hitched down can and will be floating around.

Even as the flood waters were still high last evening, there was beauty to be found at Joe's Pond. Louis Monaghan sent this sunset picture taken from his flooded dock on Clubhouse Circle. That is the area of Channel Drive on the far shore, and although I haven't heard from anyone there, I'm sure parts of Channel Drive were under water. I hope everyone was safe and just waited for the water to recede. 

The water is down at least a foot to 18 inches from what it was yesterday, and will continue to go down until it reaches normal level, probably sometime today.

These are from the Caledonian Record published this morning, 7-12-2023:

The fiberglas ski-boat lodged on the rocks below the dam in West Danville. You can see that the hull is cracked. And on the right, a bridge on the LVRT in Hardwick, looking towards Walden. The Governor's planned celebration on the trail is cancelled.

Cabot Village was hit very hard again. There is a normally small brook that comes off Danville Hill area and runs next to the Cabot Garage that is next door to the Willey Hall building that serves as library and town office complex. That small brook becomes a raging torrent of water in heavy rain storms, and in "Irene" it tore through the village, taking out the street. The huge culvert was replaced and here it is again - the street half gone, the hardware store closed, and the town in crisis mode once again as town crews and volunteers begin putting things back together.

Hardwick was also hard hit. The motel in the bend of the river going into town from Walden was hard hit and probably won't reopen this time. They were hit hard during "Irene," as well. There have been numerous road closings, and that may lase a while - I think Cabot is working to restore Brickett's Crossing Road which was closed yesterday and they will get to the smaller washouts such as we have on West Shore Road after some of the more seriously damaged roads are opened. Please be patient. This sign on one of the Cabot roads says it all.

I cannot leave without a look back as some other high-water events here at Joe's Pond. One some of us still remember happened in the summer of 1973. Below left, Pearl Island, and center, West Shore Road. That is  Ned Hamilton's garage and the canoe with either Bill or Bob Dimick and I believe Tony Stewart, was in two-three feet of water that went over the road all the way to Chatot Road. That is Jamie standing on the bridge between the Hamilton and Dimick camps.

And then there was high water again in 2011 when part of the wetlands at the north end of the pond were found floating by Terry Powers' camp. A crew of volunteers wrestled it back to the swampy area where it settled back in place as the water went down. We've had high water before, and we will without a doubt have high water again. It makes us thankful for the many fine days we have, and helps us appreciate when times are serene and good.