ADDISON COUNTY — While some low-lying parts of Addison County and Brandon saw streams and rivers overflow their banks, this area so far has been spared the deluge that steady rain and snowmelt brought to parts of Vermont this past weekend.
With some spring rains forecast for the coming week, weather watchers are asking local residents to be aware of water levels in their neighborhoods.
So far, flooding in this part of the state has occurred in spots. Swamp/Creek Road in Cornwall/Salisbury saw some flooding, as did Old Jerusalem Road in Leicester, and farm fields on low ground. But “the story here is very minor flooding and damage,” said Adam Lougee, executive director of the Addison County Regional Planning Commission.
WHILE FLOODING WASN’T as bad in Addison County as it was in other parts of Vermont, typical spring flooding swamped areas like this field beside Route 7 at the Salisbury/Leicester town line. Below, high waters on the low ground behind the Middlebury Recreation Center off Creek Road flooded Middlebury Union High School baseball field and prompted the school to postpone some games and move another to Mount Abe.
Independent photo/Steve James
The Leicester-Whiting Road also saw a little water, but was not closed, he said.
“We made calls Thursday, Friday and Saturday to monitor things, but there was mostly no impact,” Lougee said.
According to Mark Bosma at the Vermont Agency of Transportation, the nearest state road to flood was Route 73 in Brandon.
“Most of the flooding was in the north of the state,” he said. “Cambridge, Lyndonville.”
In Burlington, Lake Champlain reached flood stage — 100 feet — Sunday morning, and kayakers were seen cruising over parts of the waterfront sidewalk later in the day.
By Wednesday the lake had risen to 100.6 feet, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and was expected to continue rising. A flood warning issued by the National Weather Service for the northern part of the lake was expected to remain in effect through the weekend.
Farther south, however, Addison County towns reported the all-clear on Monday. Shoreham and Ferrisburgh saw a little water on the roads — or along the edges — but not enough to close them. Panton and Addison saw no flooding.
Bristol’s Department of Public Works took care of one small washout on Carlstrom Road, according to town administrator Valerie Capels, but it didn’t cause significant damage.
On Sunday Lemon Fair Road in Weybridge was closed between Bittersweet Falls Road and Snake Mountain Road because the bridge over the river was flooded, according to Weybridge resident Kevin Commins.
Readers posted four photographs to the Independent’s Facebook page, including one that showed flooding on Route 23 in Weybridge.
In Middlebury, east of the covered bridge, Otter Creek seeped into backyards but did not cause any flooding to nearby homes.
Otter Creek also crept toward a residence near Macdonough Park in Vergennes, but by Tuesday night it had begun to recede without causing any damage, according to Public Works Supervisor Jim Larrow.
Though additional rain is expected this weekend, Larrow didn’t predict the city would see any additional trouble.
“We’re used to this sort of thing,” Larrow said. “It happens every year.”
Reach Christopher Ross at [email protected].