Specifications include, but are not limited to: Summer of 2022, the Town of Wolcott was awarded a Flood Resilient Communities Fund Grant to design and implement a floodplain restoration concept at the North Wolcott Recreation Fields, located at 2450 North Wolcott Road. In December of 2022, the Town of Wolcott hired SLR International Corporation to evaluate flood mitigation solutions to reduce flood and erosion risks to the recreation fields and restore the floodplain to improve flood resiliency, water quality, and habitat. SLR conducted flood modeling along the Wild Branch to determine the best flood mitigation approach. The preferred alternative balances these project benefits while minimizing maintenance costs and retaining use of the North Wolcott Recreation Fields. The design includes extending the bank armor along North Wolcott Road at the upstream end of the site to reduce erosion and flood damage to the road. A ballasted engineered log jam is proposed on the meander bend to stabilize the streambank and improve aquatic habitat. The armor would be covered with soil and plantings to naturalize the riparian area. The existing parking area would be moved to the downstream parcel and a mowed path to the recreation field and river would be created. This approach moves the parking lot further from the river and outside the Special Flood Hazard Area. A vegetated stream buffer will be planted as part of this project in the location of the existing parking lot to restore the floodplain and filter debris in the event of future floods. The proposed design plans also include clearing an active flood chute of debris and excavating a flood bench along the chute for additional flood capacity and debris storage. Providing additional flood storage capacity and floodplain access for sediment and debris to settle out will reduce flood risk and future damage to the Recreation Fields and North Wolcott Road. The Final Design and Implementation phase of this project is being funded by the Flood Resilient Communities Fund, administered by Vermont Emergency Management.
