Trout Brook Reservoir Dam Removal
As of August 2025, the removal of the Trout Brook Reservoir Dam in Berkshire, VT, is underway. This historic dam, built in 1924 and inactive for decades, is being removed to restore free-flowing conditions to Trout Brook, improving water quality and enhancing aquatic habitat.
Project History and Details
The Trout Brook Reservoir Dam was originally built in 1924 to supply water to the Village of Enosburg Falls (the owner of the dam and the land on which the dam is located). A little over a decade after completion of the dam, the reservoir began experiencing water quality issues. In the summer of 1946, the water system was condemned as “unsafe for drinking purposes,” and the Village drilled its first test well. A gravel-packed well was drilled in 1949 and an additional well was added to the system circa 1950-51. Even after switching over to well water, the Village continued to maintain the dam for a few decades; over time, the dam fell into disrepair.
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In 2022, the Franklin County Natural Resources Conservation District undertook a dam scoping assessment for 27 known dams in Franklin County to determine the water quality, habitat, and public safety benefits of potential dam removals. This dam and six others were investigated in depth, and the Trout Brook Reservoir Dam stood out as having the most potential removal benefits. The removal project was then brought to the Trustees of the Village of Enosburg Falls for their review and approval to move forward through several iterations of removal design, permitting, and cultural resources reviews.​
The current construction phase is based on the final design completed by SLR Consulting, in partnership with UVM Consulting Archaeology Program findings and with feedback from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources programmatic and regulatory staff, as well as staff and Trustees with the Village of Enosburg Falls.
The project involves the removal of an approximately 16-foot high by 128-foot long concrete gravity structure that is classified as having a LOW hazard potential. Approximately 15,700 cubic yards of sediment will be removed to restore a brook bed through the existing reservoir. The completed project will result in removal of the dam and restoration of a free-flowing stream. The newly re-exposed floodplain upstream of the dam will be stabilized and planted with native species. Woody debris will be placed and driven posts installed in and along the restored channel to slow water velocities as the area stabilizes. Sloan’s Excavating of East Fairfield is completing the deconstruction and restoration, which began August 11th, 2025, and is expected to continue through the summer and early fall.
Funding for this work was provided by the Northwest Regional Planning Commission serving as the Missisquoi Bay Basin Clean Water Service Provider.
Biomonitoring Efforts
Before deconstruction began, FCNRCD and VT-DEC staff collected important pre-removal biological data, conducting water quality testing, pebble counts, electrofishing, macroinvertebrate sampling, and habitat surveys at sites upstream and downstream of the dam.
Over the coming years, we’ll continue to track how the river ecosystem responds and recovers. These efforts help us understand the current health of the stream and set the stage for long-term monitoring after the dam is removed.