Restoring a headwater stream in the Winooski River watershed for stream health, clean water, flood management, and wildlife habitat
Though big rivers may draw our attention, much of a watershed consists of small streams high in the headwaters. Making sure these headwater streams aren’t constricted helps prevent erosion and water quality issues downstream, and maintains habitat for both aquatic and land animals.
Last year, VLT received a gift of land in the headwaters of the Winooski watershed. As part of our land ownership, we undertook an assessment of the property’s natural resources to see how we could best enhance it through stewardship.
We found that a small unnamed stream was constrained by undersized culverts and small dams on the parcel — causing erosion, limiting water flow, and impeding wildlife movement.
The old stone dam that was blocking the stream before VLT staff removed it.
As a first step, we replaced a pair of undersized culverts with a larger ‘pipe arch’ that will allow animals and historic-sized floods to pass without damaging surrounding land or roads. The project also included the removal of a stone dam that was impeding water flow. This work was accomplished in October 2025.
The stream can now flow more freely. The new culvert will allow animals to move and floodwaters to pass without damaging surrounding land or roads.
“The Winooski River watershed is the largest in Vermont, and has flooded multiple times in recent years,” said VLT Ecology & Restoration Program Director Allaire Diamond. “Focusing on restoration in the headwaters that feed it can reduce flood pulses in a cost-effective way, and we hope projects like this can help demonstrate how landowners can protect watershed health on their own land.”
Experts team up for stream crossing improvement and dam removal
Located near the Mud Pond Conservation Area on the western edge of Richmond, the unnamed stream flows through wetland and forest, is confined behind small dams, and crosses town and private roads on its way to the Winooski river.
The land where the restoration project was undertaken was originally conserved with us in 2009 and donated to us in late 2024.
We brought together ecologists, hydrologic design engineers, skilled contractors, and restoration experts to assess, design, and implement the restoration solution.
Engineers from Fitzgerald Environmental Associates visited the site in 2024 and identified the stream crossing as the first priority, as it was undersized and had washed out in recent floods. The engineers recommended replacing two existing culverts, of 15-inch and 18-inch diameters, with a larger ‘pipe arch’ made of steel (64-inch x 43-inch) to safely fit the stream during 100-year flood levels.
The construction team, led by Stephen Hogan of Hogan Excavating, a Cabot-based firm, undertook the work this fall. They began by installing temporary markers to demarcate wetland boundaries and ensure wetland areas would not be disturbed. They carefully managed water away from the work area for the duration. They installed the new culvert, before reopening the stream to its natural course.
The construction team, led by Hogan Excavating, a Cabot-based firm, installs the new culvert.
The culvert’s wide ‘squashed’ base allows it to sit in a wider channel, and designers have planned for the culvert bottom to gradually fill in with gravel and soil from upstream. Over time, this will create a natural stream bottom that will aid aquatic animals such as amphibians and small fish in their movement through the watershed.
Our staff also removed a small stone dam by hand, just downstream of the now improved stream crossing. They also removed woody invasive species from the stream and floodplain area, and then planted native willow stakes and wetland seeds collected from the property in the restoration site.
Culvert replacement is the first step in a larger vision
The freely flowing stream, with the new culvert in the background.
Vermont’s historic drought broke soon after the work was completed, just in time to welcome the stream back to its restored course.
“For VLT, this project is just the first in a series of restoration efforts in this small corner of the Winooski watershed,” explained Allaire.
We are pursuing additional projects for wetland restoration and the removal of an earthen dam downstream on the Richmond property. We hope to address constrictions on a nearby parcel in partnership with neighboring landowners.
This first project was funded by Vermont Clean Water funds — funding for the design phase was administered by the Mount Ascutney Regional Commission, while funding for the construction phase was administered by Watersheds United Vermont. The Intervale Center donated work crew time to remove woody invasives.
