Upon arrival at the store, I was greeted by the locals in the coffee shop section of the store. After the usual greetings of long time no see, etc., I was asked as to the purpose of my visit. I explained to the group that I was asked to do an electrical/safety survey of some of the flooded homes.
The discussion quickly switched to the merits of curtailing the removal of gravel on a yearly basis from our Vermont rivers and stream beds.
It was the conclusion of the “hydraulic engineers” present at the meeting that while the removal of gravel would not have mitigated Irene’s damage, it might have lessened it. It was not determined with any certainty as to why gravel removal was curtailed, maybe some environmentalist could respond. Was it the silt or the fish eggs? Either way, Mother Nature had her way (to the pain of many) and redistributed the silt and fish eggs all across the Mad River Valley.
Carmen Barone
Newport, VT
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