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Swanton officials, residents want to keep dam 
By Candace Page • Free Press Staff Writer • October 14, 2008 SWANTON -- Residents on Monday night gave Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Wayne Laroche an hour's worth of reasons the Swanton Dam should not be removed to open fish passage. Laroche came to a joint meeting of the village trustees, town selectboard and about 30 residents to pitch his desire to reopen the path for walleye, sturgeon and muskellunge to 7 miles of spawning habitat on the Missisquoi River above the dam. Stocks of all three fish have declined dramatically in Lake Champlain in the past century; the sturgeon is on Vermont's Endangered Species List.
The dam is owned by Swanton village and town, so Laroche needs to persuade local officials that it is a bigger liability than a benefit. Skeptical remarks from board members made clear he has not yet done so. They have strongly opposed removal in the past.
"You said there has been abundance of fishing here in the past -- and there has been a dam here forever," Village Trustee Suzanne Washburn said. "There are other circumstances that has caused fish to disappear, chemical spills, the (Missisquoi Bay) causeway. It upsets me that you would think to remove the dam as first course of action." "To take out the dam would be the equivalent to blacktopping the Swanton green," Sandy Kilburn told Laroche. "Watching water go over the dam is food for the soul." The dam, built in 1929, once powered mills on the river. Since the mills closed in the 1940s, it has served no economic purpose.
Selectman John Lavoie echoed comments by a number of residents when he questioned whether Laroche has correctly identified the cause of decline in fish stocks. Lavoie said overfishing, particularly by out-of-state boats during fishing tournaments, might be a source of the problem.
"Why aren't we limiting the traffic so I don't meet 50 out- of-state boats when I go out on the river?" he asked. Resident Ron Case said a higher value should be put on the dam's potential to generate electricity.
"Everybody knows there's an energy crisis. There could be a generator put there to benefit the people of the town. There are plenty of fish in the lake, and in the river," he said. Brian Savage of Swanton had yet another reason.
"On three occasions the dam has been an integral part of our fire protection," he said. The local fire department draws water from the impoundment behind the dam. "That water supply is invaluable in an emergency." Only Sara Luneau of Swanton spoke in support of Laroche's idea.
"The dam hasn't always been there. It has changed the natural habitat of the river," she said. Tom Berry of The Nature Conservancy won support in the audience when he suggested a fish ladder might dissolve the stalemate, allowing fish passage while preserving the dam. "Now you would bring something to the community. I think it would be a lot cheaper to put in a fish ladder," Warren Fournier of Swanton told Laroche. Laroche said he was willing to consider other ideas and promised to keep talking to the community.
Contact Candace Page at 660-1865 or by e-mail,
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Pros and cons
Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Wayne Laroche and his allies would like to remove the 300-foot Swanton dam, a structure owned by the village and town and currently unused. Here is a summary of the arguments:
-- PRO:
-- Restore fish passage to upstream spawning
-- Restore historic runs of walleye
-- Rebuild populations of lake sturgeon and muskellunge
-- Help town attract more angling-related tourism -- CON:
-- Could be used to generate electricity in the future
-- Is part of town's industrial history
-- Sits at center of community, part of the visual and aural fabric of life http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081014/NEWS02/810140318 |
